Kaleidoscope 2016 was held in Bangkok, Thailand, 14-16 November, co-located with ITU Telecom World. Kaleidoscope 2016 attracted over 120 attendees from 31 countries to share research into ICT innovation supporting the pursuit of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals, emphasizing the role of international ICT standards in providing the platform for this innovation to achieve its aims on a global scale.

The winning paper shares insight into the “Sahana Alerting and Messaging Broker (SAMBRO)” system – based on ITU’s Common Alerting Protocol 1.2 (ITU-T X.1303bis) – for the dissemination of disaster warnings in the region. The paper explores how standards-based disaster-warning systems can assist in overcoming differences in communications systems and governance structures, looking at both the technical and procedural foundations of a successful disaster-warning system.

The 2nd prize paper – authored by Huahong Tu, Adam Doupé, Ziming Zhao and Gail-Joon Ahn (Arizona State University, USA) – proposes an authentication scheme to prevent the spoofing of caller IDs. The proposal could assist in increasing the security of caller-ID presentation (ITU-T Q.731.3) in the context of Signalling System 7 (SS7), the set of signalling protocols that underpins telephone calls in both fixed and mobile networks.

83 papers from 23 countries were submitted for review by an 87-member Technical Programme Committee through a double-blind peer-review process, under the leadership of a Steering Committee. 25 of the papers submitted were presented at the conference by virtue of their being accepted for publication in the Kaleidoscope 2016 Proceedings.

Kaleidoscope events are peer-reviewed academic conferences that increase dialogue between academics and ICT standardization experts. The aim of the conference is to identify emerging trends in ICT research and their associated implications for international standardization.

The Regional Preparatory Meeting (RPM) for Africa was held from 6 to 8 December in Kigali, Rwanda. Participants at the meeting assessed the ongoing implementation of the Dubai Action Plan adopted at ITU’s last World Telecommunication Development Conference (WTDC-14) and started discussions on the Regional Initiatives for the Africa region for the years 2018-2021.

The Regional Preparatory Meeting was the second of a series of regional preparatory meetings that will take place across the world to help identify priorities in each region in preparation for WTDC-17. The first RPM was held in Bishkek, Kyrgyz Republic from 9 to 11 November 2016.

]]>ITU Blog: Are we doing enough to protect vulnerable users of mobile money?http://newslog.itu.int/archives/1453
Tue, 06 Dec 2016 13:21:08 +0000http://newslog.itu.int/?p=1453Consumers who stand to benefit the most from innovative digital financial services (DFS) are the 2 billion adults globally who have never had access to formal financial services. The world’s poorest people perceive cash to be more reliable and cost-effective than money stored electronically – their perceptions of the risks attached to digital finance differ from those of consumers more experienced in the use of financial services.

DFS offerings must be designed with the least-experienced, most-skeptical user in mind. The adoption of DFS will never achieve significant scale if levels of trust are low. If DFS are to fulfill their potential to achieve full financial inclusion, we must assure DFS customers of a near-perfect user experience, which also implies effective, fair and free recourse mechanisms when consumers encounter problems with DFS.

‘Consumer experience and protection’ is one of the primary work streams of the ITU-T Focus Group on Digital Financial Services, a group which has developed guidelines and tools to assist countries in their efforts to increase financial inclusion. This Focus Group is holding its final meeting in Geneva, 6-7 December, where we are presenting the results of our two-year study on the key components to protecting the DFS consumer.

]]>ITU CWG-Internet launches Open Consultation on the “Developmental Aspects of the Internet”http://newslog.itu.int/archives/1452
Mon, 05 Dec 2016 13:17:48 +0000http://newslog.itu.int/?p=1452ITU’s Council Working Group on international Internet-related public policy issues (CWG-Internet) has launched an open consultation- both online and physical- on the following topic:

Developmental Aspects of the Internet

“Considering the importance of Internet to the global digital economy, all stakeholders are invited to submit their comments on the following key aspects:

1. What are the developmental aspects of the Internet (for example, economic, social, regulatory and technical aspects), especially for developing countries?
2. How can governments and other stakeholders promote the developmental aspects of the Internet?
3. What are the challenges and opportunities?”

This online open consultation will be followed by a physical open consultation meeting to be held on 3 February 2017 at the ITU Headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland. During this physical meeting, respondents to the online consultation will have the opportunity to present their submitted views and to have a fruitful discussion with the other participants, including members of the CWG-Internet.

Geneva, 30 November 2016 – ITU has been informed by the Italian Ministry of Economic Development of the successful completion of the switch-off process of television broadcasting transmissions on 61 frequencies, the use of which had been causing harmful interference into television broadcasting services of neighbouring countries since 2005.

The first report of harmful interference and request for assistance was sent to ITU’s Radiocommunication Bureau by the government of Slovenia in August 2005. Since then the issue was regularly reported to ITU’s Radio Regulations Board, and it involved other countries neighbouring Italy from 2011. The issue was also raised at ITU’s World Radiocommunication Conferences of 2012 and 2015 and to the European Union Radio Spectrum Policy Group from 2012, with slow progress until 2014.

Hyundai Motor Company has just become a member of ITU’s standardization arm (ITU-T), underscoring the importance of increased collaboration between the automotive and information and communication technology (ICT) industries in an era of rapid convergence.

Hyundai’s participation in ITU will support the company in building its “hyper-connected intelligent cars” platform, which includes smart remote-maintenance services, autonomous driving, smart traffic flow, and a connected “mobility hub” to provide security and data management for connected cars.

]]>5-9 December, Geneva: ITU to showcase innovation for smart 5G systemshttp://newslog.itu.int/archives/1449
Fri, 25 Nov 2016 15:42:39 +0000http://newslog.itu.int/?p=1449Network softwarization, 5G architecture, information-centric networking and related open-source innovation will be in focus at the final meeting of the ITU-T Focus Group on network aspects of IMT-2020 (5G) in Geneva, 5-9 December. A workshop and demo day on 7 December will showcase how the diverse range of envisioned 5G use cases – from automated driving to industrial robotics and tele-surgery – will be enabled by smart 5G networks sliced into application-specific virtual networks.

ITU is supporting government, industry and academia in building a 5G environment where highly-reliable ICTs will be core to innovation in all industry sectors. High-end 5G applications will include real-time remote device control, virtual reality, automated driving, hyper-interactive gaming and tele-surgery.

The Focus Group was established in May 2015 to analyze how emerging 5G technologies will interact in future networks, a preliminary study into the networking innovations required to achieve the ambitious performance targets of smart 5G systems. The group’s December meeting will finalize its recommendations for related ITU standardization work in areas such as network softwarization and slicing, 5G architecture and fixed-mobile convergence, end-to-end network management, and information-centric networking.

ITU’s Radiocommunication Sector (ITU-R) is coordinating the international standardization and identification of spectrum for 5G mobile development. ITU’s Standardization Sector (ITU-T) will play a similar convening role for the technologies and architectures of the wireline elements of 5G systems.

More than 400 participants from 59 countries, including government ministers, vice-ministers, Directors-General and leaders from business, academia and United Nations agencies met in Gaborone, Botswana, from 21 to 25 November to attend ITU’s World Telecommunication/ICT Indicators Symposium (WTIS-16).
The Symposium was organized by ITU and hosted by the Government of Botswana.
WTIS-16 featured a Ministerial Roundtable on leaving no one behind in the digital revolution; a Leaders’ Dialogue on the structural impact of ICTs on societies and economies; and the launch of the Measuring the Information Society Report 2016 and the ICT Development Index (IDI) 2016.For full text see:

]]>Press Release: ITU-T Focus Group on Digital Financial Services publishes new position papers ahead of final meetings, 6-8 Decemberhttp://newslog.itu.int/archives/1445
Thu, 24 Nov 2016 16:00:55 +0000http://newslog.itu.int/?p=1445ITU’s dedicated Focus Group for Digital Financial Services (DFS) published today eight new reports that reveal key findings on how mobile banking services can help alleviate poverty for millions ahead of final meetings in December.

The key findings from each report, made by four Working Groups of the Focus Group, will be unveiled at its concluding meeting 6-8 December at ITU headquarters, Geneva. These reports will conclude two years of work, aiming to guide both the regulatory and commercial sectors in increasing access to basic financial services for the estimated two billion people around the world that currently have no access.

The latest announcements bring to sixteen the number of papers that have been published dealing with a broad range of key issues that the Focus Group has been reviewing. Today’s reports include analysis on electronic B2B (business to business) payments, merchant data and lending, the role of postal networks, bulk payments, agriculture value trains and the role of social networks and two further reports on payment system oversight and interoperability.

]]>Press Release: ITU experts review radio frequency aspects related to Internet of Thingshttp://newslog.itu.int/archives/1444
Thu, 24 Nov 2016 08:59:28 +0000http://newslog.itu.int/?p=1444Collaborative discussions on spectrum management issues related to the Internet of Things Deployment (IoT)
Key industry players, regulators, operators, manufacturers and research institutions gathered yesterday to exchange best practices in Geneva at an ITU Workshop on Spectrum Management for Internet of Things Deployment (IoT).
The growing number of IoT applications may require enhanced transmission speed, device connectivity and energy efficiency to accommodate the significant amounts of data among a plethora of devices, ubiquitous sensors and/or actuators. New IoT applications are being implemented in different countries based on existing and/or new radio technologies as well as on different regulatory regimes (licenced or unlicensed operation).For full text see:

ITU’s flagship annual Measuring the Information Society Report, released today, reports that the world is getting more and more connected and reveals that there are still huge investment opportunities for the private sector to connect the unconnected.
The Measuring the Information Society Report is widely recognized as the repository of the world’s most reliable and impartial global data and analysis on the state of global ICT development and is extensively relied upon by governments, international organizations, development banks and private sector analysts and investors worldwide.For full text see:

]]>ITU Blog: New ITU standard can help bring broadband to rural communitieshttp://newslog.itu.int/archives/1442
Mon, 21 Nov 2016 11:02:51 +0000http://newslog.itu.int/?p=1442Connecting the unconnected is often described as an unprofitable exercise. My view is quite different. The Information Society cannot be truly global, a true digital reflection of humanity’s knowledge, without connecting all the world’s people. Our profit motive? Preventing social loss and inequality.

Broadband has the potential to bring rural communities within reach of education, healthcare, financial services and new opportunities to do business and improve their quality of life. But advanced countries also have a great deal to learn from distant cultures, which have preserved values, traditions and knowledge now forgotten by many modern societies.

Connecting the unconnected is not a transfer of knowledge and opportunity from developed to developing countries; it is a reciprocal exchange of knowledge, one that benefits us all.

Cost-effective implementation takes priority

ITU’s international standards reflect the state of the art in information and communication technology (ICT). Most ITU standards aim to provide common platforms for growth and innovation in emerging fields of ICT. Adapting mature technologies to new applications is a path less travelled in technical standardization, but there is no doubt that this approach could yield standards of great value to sustainable development.

ITU today announced the winners of its prestigious ITU Telecom World Awards, which recognize excellence and innovation in ICT solutions with social impact. The Awards were announced by ITU Secretary-General Houlin Zhao at a buzzing ceremony in the presence of H.E. Air Chief Marshal Prajin Juntong, Deputy Prime Minister and Acting Minister of Digital Economy and Society, Air Chief Marshal Thares Punsri, Chairman NBTC and ITU elected officials at the close of ITU Telecom World 2016.“It is tremendously exciting to see so many ideas, innovations and so much talent and creativity all in one place,” Zhao said. “I hope that winning our Award and having their innovative solutions recognized by global experts will help these talented innovators grow and scale up their businesses, contributing fresh ideas and vision to our digital economy. I wish them every success.”For full text see:

EQUALS, the global partnership to shrink the digital gender gap launched by ITU and UN Women, unveiled the world’s first Gender Digital Inclusion Map, an open-source product created by ITU and the United Nations University Computing Society’s research on the broad range of public and private sector organizations tackling the gender digital divide at the 2016 Telecom World.

Information and Communications Technology (ICT) – including cloud computing and the rise of software-as-a-service – has reduced the cost of innovation and market access, allowing small tech businesses to compete with established industries. This was one of the key findings of the Emerge Publication which was launched today at ITU Telecom World in Bangkok, Thailand. The publication provides a review of micro, small and medium sized-enterprises in the ICT sector (tech MSMEs), as well as the environment and stakeholders which support these firms to grow and create jobs.

“The future of SMEs will be enabled by ICTs,” said Houlin Zhao, ITU Secretary-General. ”Cloud computing, smart grids, smart metering, reducing energy consumption and much more will be key to the environments that allow SMEs to grow and that, in turn, will be transformed by SMEs.”

The report showcases the results of six case studies of different country-led programs in Costa Rica, Colombia, India, Kenya, Senegal and South Korea. The programmes explored how to best stimulate ICT adoption and increase the use and impact of technologies and broadband in various communities and environments. The case studies provide a useful window into different ways to collaborate in order to get underserved populations online.

Three organizations received today the 2016 GEM-TECH Award for their outstanding work on behalf women and girls inclusion in the digital world at Telecom World in Bangkok, Thailand, today.Jointly organized by ITU, the UN agency for ICTs, and UN Women, the GEM-TECH Awards recognize the unique power of information communication technologies (ICTs) to empower women and girls worldwide and achieve gender equality, which is #5 among the 17 Sustainable Development Goals world leaders agreed to in 2015. The awards were presented by ITU Secretary-General Houlin Zhao and UN Women Deputy Regional Director, Asia and the Pacific, Anna-Karin Jatfors, UN Women, For full text see:

]]>Press Release : Global ICT community gathers for ITU Telecom World 2016http://newslog.itu.int/archives/1432
Mon, 14 Nov 2016 13:21:46 +0000http://newslog.itu.int/?p=1432Collaboration in the digital economy, the role of tech-SMEs and innovative investment for global connectivity among key areas of focus

ITU Telecom World 2016 today launched proceedings, welcoming influential participants from public and private sectors and across the ICT industry, including SMEs, from around the world.
Proceedings began with the Opening Ceremony, in the presence of H.R.H Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn, Kingdom of Thailand, Chan-o-cha Prayut, Prime Minister, Kingdom of Thailand and Houlin Zhao, Secretary-General, International Telecommunication Union.For full text and more see:

The Regional Preparatory Meeting (RPM) for the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) was held from 9 to 11 November in Bishkek. The meeting assessed the ongoing implementation of the Dubai Action Plan, which was adopted at the 2014 World Telecommunication Development Conference (WTDC-14) and identified priority areas for information and communication technology (ICT) development strategies in the CIS region.

Thought leaders of the ICT and automotive sectors will share insight into the transformation of the transport ecosystem and its contribution to the development of smart sustainable cities. In focus will be advances in vehicle connectivity, impending regulatory decisions, emerging technologies, consumer trends and standardization strategies.

The workshop will showcase new facilities providing testbeds for innovations in the field of connected, automated driving. Other key points on the workshop’s agenda include:

Policy, technology and business perspectives on automated driving

The spectrum requirements for vehicle communications

The road to 5G and associated prospects for connected, automated driving

The workshop will be followed by a meeting of the Collaboration on ITS Communication Standards, the body responsible for the coordination technical standardization work to encourage the offer of interoperable ITS products.

]]>Media Advisory: ITU Telecom World Opening Press Conference confirmed for 14 November 2016http://newslog.itu.int/archives/1427
Thu, 10 Nov 2016 08:26:36 +0000http://newslog.itu.int/?p=1427Geneva, 09 November 2016 – High level officials will be available to answer key questions about Telecom World and collaboration in the digital economy and the vital role of SMEs

ACCREDIT NOW

Accredited journalists attending ITU Telecom World 2016 (Bangkok, 14-17 November) are invited to attend the opening press conference, which will be held on Monday 14 November in room Jupiter 11, at the IMPACT Exhibition and Convention Centre, from 13.30-14.15.

]]>ITU standardization takes up strong position to power the smart 5G erahttp://newslog.itu.int/archives/1426
Mon, 07 Nov 2016 14:21:34 +0000http://newslog.itu.int/?p=1426ITU membership has called for ITU’s standardization arm to expand its study of the wireline networking innovations required to achieve the ambitious performance targets of smart 5G systems. This call has come in parallel with ITU members’ reaffirmation of the importance of ITU’s standardization work to drive the coordinated development of ultra-high-speed transport networks, the Internet of Things, future video technologies, and smart cities and communities.

]]>GEM-TECH Award Winners to be announced on 15 November in Bangkokhttp://newslog.itu.int/archives/1423
Thu, 03 Nov 2016 14:02:37 +0000http://newslog.itu.int/?p=1423Third annual Award will transform the lives of people who empower women in ICT

ITU and UN Women will jointly announce the three winners of the 2016 GEM-TECH Awards at ITU Telecom World in Bangkok, Thailand, on 15 November, bringing global attention to the finest work being done to empower women in the digital world and deliver on the Sustainable Development Goal to improve gender equality (SDG5).

“ICT is everywhere. Unless you have very good accessibility, ICT doesn’t mean anything to people,” said Mr. Kawamori. “Mainstreaming ICT accessibility means that everyone actually doesn’t think about accessibility at all, so accessibility becomes normal.”

“In standardizing technology, we have to take into account accessibility in every detail … from the very beginning of drafting of standards as well as the implementation as well as actually in developing applications and technologies,” said Kawamori.

]]>ITU Workshop on Digital Terrestrial Television Broadcastinghttp://newslog.itu.int/archives/1422
Wed, 02 Nov 2016 15:52:22 +0000http://newslog.itu.int/?p=1422DTT experts share best practices to facilitate the introduction of DTT in countries still reliant on analogue TV

A Workshop on ‘Assistance for Digital Terrestrial Television Broadcasting (DTTB)’ took place successfully at ITU HQ in Geneva on 27 October to discuss and share practical experiences related to DTTB implementation. Jointly organized by ITU, the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), Broadcast Networks Europe (BNE) and Digital Video Broadcasting (DVB), the workshop focused on licensing and business models, network specifications, quality of service and receiving equipment specifications.

“This workshop has provided an excellent opportunity for dialogue among stakeholders in public and private sectors and in the TV industry,” said ITU Secretary- General Houlin Zhao.

“Given DTT’s unique social and economic opportunities, governments, broadcasters and other industry stakeholders should collaborate to the maximum extent possible in order to accelerate its roll out,” said François Rancy, Director of the ITU Radiocommunication Bureau.

The 2016 ITU Radio Regulations were released today. Available free of charge electronically online via the ITU website and in ITU’s six official languages, the new edition of the Radio Regulations is also available for purchase in hardcopy and as a multi-lingual DVD.

“Following the successful completion of the World Radiocommunication Conference 2015, I am pleased to announce the issue of the ITU Radio Regulations, edition of 2016 which will come into force for all the signatory parties on 1 January 2017,” said François Rancy, Director of the ITU Radiocommunication Bureau.

The event consisted of a workshop on practical skills to overcome gender differences in negotiations, followed by a lively panel discussion highlighting the experiences of leading women from the information and communication technology (ICT) and standardization fields.

RELATED: Join the EQUALS movement, a joint ITU and UN Women campaign that aims to achieve online gender equality by 2030. Follow the conversation at #beEQUALS.

The women panelists from all regions of the world told the audience how they achieved success in a male-dominated ICT field – and how girls and young women could do the same.

Advice for rising women ICT leaders

Dr. Rim Belhassine-Cherif, Executive Director of Tunisie Telecom said women should trust their own ability and skills, ignore negative factors that can hold them back, say yes to challenging projects, and consider career success as important to their well-being and happiness.

Julie Zoller, Senior Deputy Coordinator & Director of Multilateral Affairs at the U.S. Department of State, stressed the importance of setting goals.“Where do you want to be in 1 year, 5 years, 10 years?” she asked the audience, rhetorically. “Ask for what you need. And articulate where you want to go. If you don’t know where you’re going, no one else knows where you’re going.”

Women leaders should recruit with a bias towards women, but also based on merit, said Hilda Mutseyekwa, Director Economics, Tariffs and Competition, Postal and Regulatory Authority of Zimbabwe (POTRAZ). They should also not forget to take the time to mentor and assist younger women colleagues, she said.

Men must play a role

Several panelists also highlighted the role men can play.

“If we don’t have men as part of the conversation, we are just an echo chamber,” said Ms. Monique Morrow, CTO of New Frontiers Engineering at Cisco – and chair of WISE. “All of my coaches have been male. They’ve been fantastic. They pushed me beyond my comfort zone.”

Other panelists reiterated Morrow’s comments that it is very important to have men as part of the efforts to bring gender equality to standardization work – and to the ICT industry as a whole.

“One particular boss used to say, ‘I’m going to put you up for Chair’,” said Ms. Zoller. “If I resisted, he’d say: ‘You’re ready.’ Having someone push you … beyond your comfort zone, has been very important.”

What does success look like?

Ms Guðrún Rögnvaldardóttir, Vice President of the Technical Board of CEN & CENELEC, spoke about how a standard for equal pay management systems has been developed in her native Iceland to help close a persistent 10-15% gender pay gap.

Ms Morrow had a different definition.

“It’s the 21st-century. Success is: We will never have to talk about this anymore,” said Morrow. “I’m very concerned that we still are.”

For more insight on the topic from Morrow, watch the video below.

]]>WTSA-16 Highlights: Alibaba’s Yuejin Du on data protection (VIDEO)http://newslog.itu.int/archives/1415
Fri, 28 Oct 2016 15:58:10 +0000http://newslog.itu.int/?p=1415Alibaba Group is China’s—and by some measures, the world’s—biggest online commerce company. Its three main sites—Taobao, Tmall and Alibaba.com—support transactions between hundreds of millions of consumers and businesses. “From my own perspective, security is very crucial for the entire industry,” says Yuejin Du, Vice President of Technology at Alibaba Group. “It’s the basis for setting trust between partners and private and public sectors.”
]]>WTSA-16 Highlights: The importance of Artificial Intelligence (VIDEO)http://newslog.itu.int/archives/1414
Fri, 28 Oct 2016 10:00:14 +0000http://newslog.itu.int/?p=1414“Ten years from now, almost every product or service will have some component of AI to it,” says Neil Sahota, WorldWide Business Development Leader & IBM Master Inventor at IBM Watson Group. “By 2020, 90% of data will be video or image. We don’t have the computing power to process it.”

“Only AI has the power to analyze the data to solve the problems facing our future,” said renowned AI expert and futurist Stephen Ibaraki, the moderator of the panel which also included Thomas Wiegand, Executive Director of the Fraunhofer Heinrich Hertz Institute, and Mike Hinchey, Director of the Irish Software Engineering Research Centre (Lero).

The panel closed with an announcement that ITU would co-host a two-day event on “AI for Social Good” with IBM Watson’s XPrize in mid-July 2017.

To learn more about what’s next for AI, watch the video below of an ITU News interview with Stephen Ibaraki.

The 60th Anniversary Talks held as part of the celebrations explored two fields of great importance to sustainable development: digital financial services (DFS) and artificial intelligence (AI).

During the panel discussion on DFS, Ronald Webb, Director of Financial Services for Safaricom, shared insight into how Safaricom built its world-famous digital payment products and how light-touch, flexible regulation was critical to their success.

Moez Chakchouk, Chairman and CEO of Tunisian Post, explained how Tunisian Post has become a regional leader in DFS innovation and how they are experimenting with blockchain technology to help build a more scalable, secure digital payments platform.

“We cannot have social inclusion without digital financial inclusion,” said Chakchouk. “What we are achieving is very promising. A lot of interesting Tunisian startups are interested to work with Tunisian Post today. They will be an important part of our growth.”

Chakchouk elaborated on these points in an interview with ITU News.

]]>WTSA-16 Highlights: Learn more about ITU standardization achievementshttp://newslog.itu.int/archives/1411
Wed, 26 Oct 2016 16:00:57 +0000http://newslog.itu.int/?p=1411WTSA-16 offers ITU members the opportunity to set the strategic direction of the ITU Telecommunication Standardization Sector (ITU-T) for the next four years. Learn more…

The past four years of ITU standardization have seen key results achieved in areas characterized by ITU leadership, and ITU members have taken bold steps towards ensuring that ITU-T remains well positioned to serve emerging standardization demands.

ITU-T has completed a set of highly anticipated broadband access technologies in G.fast, a new standard capable of delivering 2 Gbit/s over traditional telephone wires; as well as 40-Gigabit-capable Fibre to the Home (NG-PON2), the first series of standards to provide fibre-optic access speeds beyond 10 Gbit/s.

The revision of a key ITU standard underlying the Optical Transport Network will enable optical transport at rates higher than 100 Gbit/s, meeting industry demand for increased capacity in metro and long-haul transport networks to support the unceasing growth of video and data traffic.

ITU-T has also achieved considerable progress in its efforts to provide an enabling environment for ICT standardization to support the convergence of technologies and industry sectors.

The collaboration of telecommunications and over-the-top players has ushered concepts rooted in data-centre networking into the telecoms industry, with new ITU standards in areas such as software-defined networking easing the migration to new ways of networking.

The wide array of industry sectors now in demand of ICT standards has drawn great value from ITU, with new standards agreed in areas such as e-health, smart grid and intelligent transport systems. Collaboration with e-health players, for example, has delivered ITU standards to support medical-grade e-health devices.

The recent achievements of ITU standardization in increasing the capacity and intelligence of ICT networks and devices, as well as its successes in building cooperation among vertical sectors, have established a strong basis to support the next five years of ICT innovation.

The inclusivity of the ITU standardization platform – supported by ITU’s Bridging the Standardization Gap programme – will assist in offering all the world’s countries equal opportunity to benefit from the ICT advances to be achieved in the approach to year 2020.

WTSA-16 will consolidate the progress that ITU standardization has achieved over the past four years, refining the strategic direction and structure of ITU-T to support the next phase of innovation in ICT. Learn more about WTSA-16…

WTSA-16 will review ITU-T’s structure, working methods and mechanisms for collaboration with other standards bodies, SMEs and open-source communities, and the many vertical sectors applying ICTs as enabling technologies. This work will result in the provision of a standardization toolkit optimized to assist government and industry in realizing the full potential of the post-2020 ICT environment.

Youssef Chahed, Head of Government of the Republic of Tunisia, delivered the welcoming remarks at the WTSA-16 Opening Ceremony where he highlighted the importance of ICTs to the creation of a knowledge society by 2020.

]]>WTSA-16 Highlights: Watch Deutsche Telekom’s Thomas Kremer explain the importance of telecom-OTT collaboration and data securityhttp://newslog.itu.int/archives/1408
Tue, 25 Oct 2016 17:00:14 +0000http://newslog.itu.int/?p=1408A meeting of ICT industry executives hosted Tunisie Télécom on 23 October explored the new industry dynamics introduced by the rise of over-the-top business models, as well as the importance of data security in gaining users’ trust. The meeting also shared insight into industry innovation to accelerate the deployment of Gigabit-speed broadband access solutions through a combination of LTE, WiFi and fixed broadband technologies such as ITU’s G.fast and NG-PON2.

Meeting at the Global Standards Symposium (GSS-16) government ministers, industry executives and the international standardization community recognized that the success of information and communication technologies (ICTs) in driving sustainable development will be conditional to achieve ICT security, privacy and trust.

GSS-16 addressed the theme of ‘Security, Privacy and Trust in Standardization’ from the perspectives of policy, regulation, business and standardization. The symposium’s discussions feed into the World Telecommunication Standardization Assembly 2016 (WTSA-16) opening today in Hammamet, Tunisia.

ICT industry executives have highlighted the importance of innovation capitalizing on VoLTE and other unique opportunities presented to network operators by advanced packet-based communications. Leaders agree that Gigabit-speed broadband access and data security will form key priorities to industry in coming years. These executives have also reaffirmed their request for regulation to provide a level playing field for competition between telecoms and OTT players in fields where they provide equivalent services.

These views were among the conclusions adopted by a meeting of 24 ICT industry executives and the strategic management of the ITU Telecommunication Standardization Sector (ITU-T) in Hammamet, Tunisia, 23 October, hosted by Tunisie Télécom.

The meeting’s communiqué calls for ITU-T to provide a platform for the development of international standards addressing the OTT market environment.

The view of the meeting was that the guidance provided by OTT-related international standards would be especially beneficial to telecoms operators in developing countries, placing them in a stronger position to compete internationally and provide a wide choice of high-quality products and services.

The meeting called for all ICT stakeholders to increase their collaboration in addressing the new challenges to security and privacy introduced by data-driven OTT applications and services. It was said that a transition from system-centric to data-centric security will be necessary to address these new challenges, and ITU-T was encouraged to play a more active role in enabling this transition.

Gigabit-speed broadband access technologies are becoming essential to the reliable delivery of bandwidth-intensive services such as HD video.

The meeting reviewed recent industry innovations in the deployment of broadband access networks, many of which are based on ITU-standardized solutions such as G.fast, G.hn, VDSL2 and passive optical networks (e.g., NG-PON2).

Participants highlighted the value of fixed wireless access and solutions combining two or more heterogeneous networks (e.g., LTE and Wi‑Fi) to achieve increases in bandwidth and reductions in network cost. The meeting invited ITU-T to consider the inclusion of these hybrid approaches in its portfolio of broadband access standards, recognizing that hybrid, technology-agnostic networks will forge a path towards true fixed-mobile convergence, an important requirement for the development of IMT-2020 (5G) systems.

AR and VR applications are very demanding of the network with respect to throughput and latency, giving further impetus to industry’s work to develop innovative technologies in the fields of transport and access networking, media coding and cloud and edge computing. The meeting recommended that ITU consider AR and VR as topics of great strategic importance, highlighting the value of ITU standards in supporting the interoperability of new ICT products and services.

The meeting of industry leaders was held the day prior to the 3rd Global Standards Symposium, themed ‘Security, Privacy and Trust in Standardization’. The symposium precedes the World Telecommunication Standardization Assembly 2016, an ITU governing conference held every four years for ITU members to refine the strategic direction and structure of ITU’s standardization arm. Learn more…

]]>ITU standards deliver 2 Gbit/s G.fast broadband, SDN management-control, timing and synch for 5G, and state-of-the-art optical fibrehttp://newslog.itu.int/archives/1400
Fri, 21 Oct 2016 09:08:47 +0000http://newslog.itu.int/?p=1400ITU standards experts have doubled the access speeds achievable with the ITU G.fast broadband standard. G.fast is now capable of enabling data rates up to 2 Gbit/s over traditional telephone lines, providing operators with a valuable complement to fibre to the home (FTTH) technologies in scenarios where G.fast proves the more cost-efficient strategy.

This achievement comes in parallel with the completion of ITU standards detailing commonalities in software-defined networking (SDN) and automatically switched optical networks (ASON); tools to meet the expected synchronization demands of 5G systems; and the characteristics of state-of-the-art optical fibre.

These standards have achieved first-stage approval (‘consent’) and are expected to see final approval before the close of 2016. They are products of the ITU standardization expert group responsible for ‘Networks, Technologies and Infrastructures for Transport, Access and Home’, ITU-T Study Group 15.

G.fast provides fibre-like speeds matched with the customer self-installation of DSL, resulting in cost-savings for service providers and improved customer experience.

The third amendment of ITU-T G.9701 doubles the aggregate net data rate achievable with G.fast, increasing its capacity to 2Gbit/s using spectrum up to 212 MHz. The update to the standard maintains spectral compatibility with VDSL2. The coexistence of G.fast and VDSL2 offers service providers the agility required to switch customers between G.fast and VDSL2 as business operations demand.

The amendment extends G.fast’s application to coaxial cable, enabling the coexistence of G.fast and satellite signals in coaxial cable infrastructure. The amendment also specifies a mechanism for dynamic time assessment, functionality that enables upstream or downstream transmission to exploit G.fast’s full aggregate net data rate. This functionality will improve users’ broadband experience by increasing upload or download speeds in line with the demands of the applications in use.

The new ITU-T G.7701 “Common Control Aspects” describes commonalities in SDN and ASON network management-control, covering common SDN and ASON control approaches as they relate to transport resources and their representation, control components, control communications, and naming and addressing.

ITU-T Study Group 15’s study of SDN is a natural progression of the group’s work on Operation Support Systems (OSS) and ASON.

The new ITU-T G.7701 follows the 2015 approval of ITU-T G.7711/Y.1702 “Generic protocol-neutral information model for transport resources”, which provides a core information model for transport resources to enable smooth transitions to SDN architectures from traditional management using OSS. ITU-T G.7711/Y.1702 gives operators the ability to deploy SDN selectively, migrating parts of the infrastructure to SDN without nullifying the value of investments in legacy OSS infrastructure.

Timing and synchronization is crucial to the efficient operation of advanced mobile-wireless technologies. Industry looks to ITU for standards to support the synchronized mobile backhaul essential to the success of wireless systems through 4G, 5G and beyond.

The new ITU-T G.8272.1/Y.1367.1 “Timing characteristics of enhanced primary reference time clocks” specifies the requirements of enhanced primary reference time clocks (ePRTCs) suitable for time and phase synchronization in packet networks. The new standard will enable highly accurate time synchronization and levels of reliability translating into holdover capabilities up to several days, with technology typically based on a combination of GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite Systems, such as GPS) and atomic clocks (e.g. cesium clocks).

The ePTRCs provided for by ITU-T G.8272.1/Y.1367.1 will make it possible to design synchronization networks where the prolonged loss of GNSS would not impact the performance of the network, an important consideration amid increasing concerns around GNSS vulnerability. A planned future edition of ITU-T G.8272.1/Y.1367.1, based on the further development of atomic clock technology, will include an option for holdover periods potentially as long as 80 days.

Demand for optical fibre continues to display steady growth. In 2014, the volume of fibre produced worldwide exceeded 300 million kilometres, and estimates suggest that 2016 will yield over 400 million kilometres. Built in conformance with ITU standards, these fibres are at the core of the ultra-high-speed optical networks that form the backbone of the Information Society.

Revisions to ITU-T G.652 and G.657 extend and optimize the use of these optical fibres beyond their current capabilities. ITU-T G.652 was released in 1984 as the first standard for single-mode fibres, leading to these fibres becoming known as “standard single-mode fibres”. ITU-T G.652 fibres were the first to be deployed in public networks and still account for the vast majority of the fibres installed worldwide. ITU-T G.657 is a standard for single-mode fibres created in 2006 specifically for optical access networks, networks which are more demanding of fibre and fibre-optic cabling with respect to macrobending sensitivity and connectivity.

ITU-T G.654, which traditionally dealt with the characteristics of fibres for submarine cables, has been revised to include a new subcategory of fibre (G.654.E fibre) to support coherent digital transmission systems in terrestrial optical networks at rates beyond 100 Gbit/s.

The new G Supplement 59 provides guidance relevant to the long-term reliability of cabled optical fibres. The supplement describes the factors that impact the performance of an optical fibre over time, looking at fibres’ optical and mechanical reliability and how this can be impacted by the cabling process.

For more information on ITU-T Study Group 15, see the group’s homepage.

Google said in a blog post that it will use the PLCN’s capacity to serve its Google Cloud Platform customers; at these speeds, it would be able to accommodate 80 million simultaneous high-definition video conference calls between the continents, or transport every book ever written in the space of a few seconds.

Chaesub Lee, Director of the ITU Standardization Bureau, and Peter Meissner, CEO of the NGMN Alliance, at the signing of the cooperation agreement at the NGMN Industry Conference & Exhibition, 12-13 October, Frankfurt, Germany

ITU and the NGMN Alliance have signed a cooperation agreement formalizing their mutual commitment to the development of next-generation mobile broadband technologies.

The agreement highlights the mutual intent of ITU and NGMN to coordinate their contributions to the development of 5G technology and architecture. This cooperation will also extend to the management of the interplay of intellectual property rights and standardization in the 5G era, and the creation of an enabling environment for open-source software to assist in shaping the future of broadband.

The agreement affirms NGMN’s support for ITU’s international standardization of 5G systems. ITU is proactive in building cooperation with bodies such as NGMN, recognizing that the efficient collaboration of technical bodies active in the 5G arena will be crucial to ensuring that 5G fulfils its potential to assist social and economic development.

In 2012, ITU established a programme on “International Mobile Telecommunications for 2020 and beyond (IMT-2020)”, providing the framework for 5G research and development worldwide. ITU members have defined the framework and overall objectives of this standardization process, as well as the roadmap to guide this process to its conclusion by 2020.

ITU’s Radiocommunication Sector (ITU-R) is coordinating the international standardization and identification of spectrum for 5G mobile development. ITU’s Standardization Sector (ITU-T) will play a similar convening role for the technologies and architectures of the wireline elements of 5G networks.

ITU and UN Women announced today the fourteen finalists for the 2016 GEM-TECH Awards to advance women’s participation in the ICT sector. This annual award honours outstanding projects and programmes around the world that promote the empowerment of women and girls through innovative uses of technologies.

The third annual GEM-TECH Awards received 311 nominations from 81 countries from a wide range of organisations and entities coming from government, industry and academia as well as civil society. Nominations covered a number of topics including women’s safety apps, e-government solutions, e-agri projects to support women’s economic empowerment and innovative digital skills training for women and girls.

ITU has approved a new environmentally friendly standard for a universal charger for laptops and other portable devices. The new standard provides for improved energy efficiency and reduced greenhouse gas emissions and is expected to lead to significant reductions in e-waste.

The new international standard – officially known as Recommendation ITU-T L.1002 “External universal power adapter solutions for portable ICT devices” – was developed by the ITU standardization expert group for ICTs, the environment and climate change, ITU-T Study Group 5.

International standards speak to the diversity of our interconnected world, introducing uniformity at the interfaces where we need to be certain that we are speaking on the same terms.

Social interaction relies on common respect for fundamental sets of norms, concepts or meanings – international standards codify these norms to ensure that they are accessible to all. Introducing common interpretations on reciprocal sides of a communication or transaction, standards are essential to mutually beneficial trade and resource-efficient international commerce.

Standards are at play in almost every product we consume and every process that readies them for consumption. Products or services conforming to international standards are imbued with trusted symbols of quality, safety or compatibility.

We are able to trust that the food on supermarkets’ shelves is fit for consumption if it has been produced and delivered using supply chains that conform to international standards for health and safety.

We trust that electrical equipment will be safe to use and function as expected if it conforms to international standards for safety, quality and compatibility with related electrotechnical infrastructure.

Information and communication technologies – such as mobile phones, tablets and PCs – possess a rich diversity of different features, but all connect and communicate using the common language provided by international standards.

World Standards Day is celebrated each year on 14 October to pay tribute to the thousands of experts worldwide that collaborate within IEC, ISO and ITU to develop the voluntary international standards that provide common platforms for growth and innovation.

]]>60th Anniversary Talks at WTSA-16 to explore the future of Artificial Intelligence and Mobile Moneyhttp://newslog.itu.int/archives/1390
Wed, 12 Oct 2016 08:19:55 +0000http://newslog.itu.int/?p=1390The CCITT/ITU-T 60th Anniversary Talks at WTSA-16 will bring together thought leaders in the spheres of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Financial Services, or ‘mobile money’, to discuss the trajectory of related innovation and its value to the pursuit of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals.

The 60th Anniversary of CCITT/ITU-T celebrates the many experts that contribute their time and expertise to the development of the ITU standards that bring cohesion to the unceasing innovation of the ICT community.

The CCITT/ITU-T 60th Anniversary Talks will be held on 26 October, moderated by Stephen Ibaraki. The talks will be followed by a Gala reception sponsored by the United Arab Emirates, the Republic of Korea and Rohde&Schwarz.

9:00-10:00: Talks on Digital Financial Services

The ubiquity of mobile phones offers an unprecedented opportunity to bring basic financial services to the over 2 billion adults worldwide without access to a bank account. However, despite their great potential to increase financial inclusion, the use and impact of Digital Financial Services (DFS) has yet to achieve significant scale.

The DFS market and regulatory environment are case studies of convergence. The competitive landscape of the financial-services market is changing as non-bank actors enter the fold, and the creation of an enabling regulatory environment for DFS remains a significant challenge, with DFS calling for a convergence of the responsibilities of a country’s regulators.

The future will see large parts of our lives influenced by Artificial Intelligence (AI). Machines can execute repetitive tasks with complete precision, and with recent advances in AI, machines are gaining the ability to learn, improve and make calculated decisions in ways that will enable them to perform tasks undertaken by journalists, teachers, doctors and other professions previously thought to rely on human experience and ingenuity.

AI has great potential to contribute to the creation of a more human-centric ICT environment. Billions of connected devices, things and objects will gain the ability to learn from patterns observed in their environment, communicating these learnings to a larger ecosystem of intelligent devices capable of adapting their behaviour autonomously in the interests of greater efficiency and sustainability.

]]>Learn more about ITU standardization in new infographichttp://newslog.itu.int/archives/1385
Tue, 11 Oct 2016 09:29:51 +0000http://newslog.itu.int/?p=1385ITU standards are defining elements of the global ICT ecosystem. Estimates suggest that 95 per cent of international traffic is carried over optical transport networks built in conformance with ITU standards. These fibre-optic information superhighways provide the backbone of the Information Society, holding together the rich diversity of ICT networks, services and devices that have become so essential to business and daily life.

Our insatiable appetite for video has seen video traffic come to account for over 60 per cent bandwidth use, a figure expected to rise to over 80 per cent by year 2020. The dominance of ITU’s video coding standards led to ITU receiving a Primetime Emmy award, recognizing the engineers responsible for the fact that almost all video we view, over any medium, is coded using ITU standards.

ITU’s successes in standardization are remarkable feats of international collaboration. These standards are developed and agreed by representatives of the ITU membership of 193 Member States and over 700 private-sector entities and 120 academic and research institutes.

Globally inclusive, market-driven standardization

ITU standardization is driven predominantly by ITU’s private-sector members, industry players that come together at ITU to develop voluntary international standards (ITU-T Recommendations) that meet their need for common platforms for growth and innovation. Over 300 ITU standards are released each year, resulting from the collaboration of thousands of experts that work year-round to agree the technical standards essential to the cohesion of the global ICT ecosystem.

The principles underlying the ITU standardization process ensure that all voices are heard, that standards efforts do not favour particular commercial interests, and that resulting standards have the consensus-derived support of the diverse set of stakeholders that comprise the ITU membership. This inclusivity of ITU’s standardization platform – supported by the ITU Bridging the Standardization Gap programme – assists in offering all the world’s countries equal opportunity to benefit from the ICT advances changing our world.

ITU standardization’s commitment to consensus

ITU’s contribution-led standardization process is beholden to longstanding commitment to consensus-based decision-making. Standardization work on a particular subject is initiated in response to contributions from ITU members if the membership reaches consensus on the inclusion of that subject in ITU-T’s work plan. Similarly, the standards developed as a result are approved when ITU’s membership reaches consensus on their composition.

ITU standards are voluntary technical standards – conformance to these standards is not mandatory unless such conformance is mandated by national law. Despite their implementation being voluntary, the approval of ITU standards by consensus ensures the buy-in of all stakeholders, increasing the likelihood that these standards will be implemented worldwide.

Shaping the ITU standardization platform at WTSA

The shape of the ITU standardization platform is reviewed every four years at an ITU governing conference known as the World Telecommunication Standardization Assembly (WTSA). ITU members convene at WTSA to refine the strategic direction and structure of ITU’s standardization arm, ensuring that this platform evolves in tune with the evolving demands of international ICT standardization.

The upcoming WTSA-16 in Hammamet, Tunisia, 25 October to 3 November, will review ITU-T’s structure, working methods and mechanisms for collaboration with other bodies defined in the A-series ITU-T Recommendations. The Assembly will appoint the leadership teams of ITU’s membership-driven standardization expert groups, ITU-T Study Groups, and it will call for ITU standardization to address the ITU membership’s consensus-agreed priorities enshrined in new or revised WTSA Resolutions.

This new infographic highlights the importance of ITU standardization and the supporting #ITUWTSA to the future of the Information Society.

The Republic of Korea through the Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning (MISP) will host ITU Telecom World 2017, which will take place from 25-28 September in the city of Busan.

With a proven track record in hosting major ITU events from ITU Telecom Asia 2004 to the Plenipotentiary conference in 2014, together with a highly advanced ICT infrastructure and cutting edge work in fields such as smart cities, IoT and 5G, Busan provides an outstanding venue to host ITU Telecom World 2017.For full text see:

]]>ITU workshop on Emergency Telecommunications and Disaster Reliefhttp://newslog.itu.int/archives/1380
Wed, 05 Oct 2016 15:28:47 +0000http://newslog.itu.int/?p=1380A workshop on Emergency Telecommunications and Disaster Relief was held on 27 September at ITU Headquarters in Geneva. The workshop was held within the framework of the third meeting of the ITU-D Study Group 2, Question 5/2 which deals with the utilization of telecommunications/ICTs for disaster preparedness, mitigation and response.

The workshop highlighted the central role that telecommunications/ICT play in disaster risk reduction with participants calling on ITU Members to continuously update their national emergency communications plans, conduct regular exercises and drills to test their disaster preparedness and to incorporate new and emerging technologies and ICT applications into their disaster risk reduction plans.

Participants at the workshop also called for more research and investment into resilient telecommunication infrastructure and the prepositioning of equipment in hazard prone areas to ensure operational continuity during disasters. Training of personnel was also identified as being critical to support implementation of disaster response plans, and should cover all aspects including use of emergency telecommunication equipment.

The workshop highlighted the importance of sharing lessons learned from previous disasters, and how ICTs help improve resilience and reduce the vulnerability of communities. Participants noted that ICTs are no longer a luxury for citizens during a disaster, but an essential tool not only for receiving and sharing life-saving information, but also in restoring economic activities.

“ITU is committed to assisting Member States reinforce and strengthen their disaster risk reduction and management through the innovative use of information and communication technologies (ICTs) with the aim of saving lives and coordinate the delivery of much needed humanitarian assistance,” says Mr. Brahima Sanou, Director of the ITU’s Telecommunication Development Bureau (BDT). “ICTs that are today playing a critical role in the attainment of Sustainable Development Goals, can be used for disaster management to enable those affected respond and recover from the hardship and damage caused by such disasters.”

“Almost every day someone, somewhere is a victim of natural disasters and disease – nobody is immune, says Mr. Cosmas Zavazava, Chief of Department, Project Support and Knowledge Management in the Telecommunication Development Bureau in ITU. “The use of ICTs for disaster risk reduction goes to the core of humanity as it relates to every individual, community, and country across the globe. This workshop provides an opportunity for us to link the theoretical work of our Study Groups, and the field work and practices from across the globe on saving lives, based on the use of ICTs. This is why the speakers and participants have been drawn from various regions, organizations and have diverse backgrounds.”

“Throughout this study cycle, Question 5/2 has provided a platform for ITU Member States, Sector Members and other organizations to share information about new technologies and their experiences in preparing for disasters and deploying ICTs for disaster response,” says Ms Kelly O’Keefe, Rapporteur for ITU-D Study Group 2 on Question 5/2 . “This workshop provides participants with a great opportunity to learn how organizations collaborate before, during and after a disaster and identify good practices and lessons learned that can help improve the capacities of both developed and developing countries in deploying ICTs for disaster response”.

Discussions during the workshop also focused on the important role that each organization involved in disaster management plays and the challenges they face when responding to disasters.

Why is collaboration in the digital economy so important? What is the role of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in supporting economic policies at the national level and accelerating research and development? What are the implications of Artificial Intelligence for society? How can the global ICT industry help achieve the Global Goals by 2030? Are connected cars the first signs of an entirely new transportation future or does trouble lie on the road ahead?

]]>2016 Regional Development Forum for Europehttp://newslog.itu.int/archives/1377
Mon, 03 Oct 2016 18:42:36 +0000http://newslog.itu.int/?p=1377The 2016 ITU Regional Development Forum for Europe took place in Budva, Montenegro, from 27 to 28 September.

The Forum organized by ITU in collaboration with the Agency for Electronic Communications and Postal Services of Montenegro (EKIP), was held back to back with the Regional Conference on Regulation of Electronic Communications Market.

The RDF provided an opportunity for a high-level dialogue between ITU-D Membership on progress made in the implementation of the five regional initiatives for Europe, approved by the World Telecommunication Development Conference 2014 (WTDC-14).

Participants also reviewed the implementation of the ITU Strategic Plan for 2016-2019 at the regional level, the activities of the ITU-D Study Groups and the ITU Centres of Excellence as well as ITU Membership and Academia.

“Although Europe is one of the global leaders in terms of broadband connectivity, affordability, internet penetration, and others, inter-regional disparities still exist and require constant adaptation of actions to meet the real needs of the region”, said Mr Brahima Sanou, Director of the ITU’s Telecommunications Development Bureau (BDT). “The rapid spread of information and communication technologies has great potential to accelerate human progress, to bridge the digital divide, develop knowledge societies and facilitate the attainment of sustainable development.”

He noted that the Regional Development Forum represents an excellent platform for multi stakeholder dialogue between the BDT and membership on the implementation of the outcomes of World Telecommunication Development Conference (WTDC), and in particular the Regional Initiatives.

Mr Zoran Sekulić, Executive Director of EKIP, said his country was honored to host the 2016 Regional Development Forum for Europe. “I would also like to register our appreciation for the support and understanding that ITU has shown us in our endeavors to develop a vibrant and efficient telecommunication/ICT sector.”

During the Forum, Mr Jaroslaw Ponder, ITU Coordinator of the Europe Region, presented a status report on the implementation of the five Regional Initiatives which focus on the following areas: spectrum management and transition to digital broadcasting; development of broadband access; ensuring access to telecommunications/ICTs, in particular for persons with disabilities; building confidence and security in the use of telecommunications/ICTs and entrepreneurship, innovation and youth.

He said “the efficient and effective implementation of the five Regional Initiatives has the potential to unlock new opportunities for the European ICT ecosystem and accelerate digital transformation. All stakeholders are encouraged to join this effort.”

In the framework of the implementation of the Regional Initiatives, ITU handed over to Albania the results of the National Review on the ICT Centric Innovation Ecosystem, as well as results of the Twinning Programme between Albania and Slovenia on the Broadband Infrastructure Mapping.

]]>ITU-D Study Groups 1 and 2 meetings held Genevahttp://newslog.itu.int/archives/1375
Mon, 03 Oct 2016 18:37:32 +0000http://newslog.itu.int/?p=1375The third meetings of the ITU-D Study Groups 1 and 2 for the 2014-2017 study period took place during the month of September in Geneva.

The work of ITU-D Study Group 1 covers the enabling environment for the development of telecommunications/ICTs, while Study Group 2 focuses on ICT applications, cybersecurity, emergency telecommunications and climate-change adaptation.

“Sustainable development is at the heart of the work of the ITU’s Telecommunications Development Sector because ICTs can facilitate the achievement of the SDGs and Study Groups have a key role to play in this process,” said Mr Brahima Sanou, Director of the ITU’s Telecommunication Development Bureau (BDT). “As the ICT sector continues to broaden and to converge with other sectors, collaboration becomes crucial.”

Mr Sanou said ITU is engaging actively with other United Nations agencies, regional and international organizations in the implementation of ICTs for Sustainable Development.

He urged participants at the Study Group meetings to exchange preliminary thoughts and ideas on possible study topics for the future and how to improve the work of the Study Groups.

During the Study Group 2 meetings, a workshop on Emergency Telecommunications and Disaster Relief was held on 27 September. At the workshop, participants shared their experiences in preparing and responding to disasters and highlighted the central role that telecommunications/ICT play in disaster mitigation and management.

For the first time, sponsorship opportunities are being proposed for activities taking place around the ITU-D Study Group meetings. The Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communication of Japan and ATDI (France), an ITU-D Sector Member, sponsored side events and social activities around the ITU-D Study Group 2 meetings.

Also taking place during the Study Group 2 meeting was the Partnership Dialogue on ICT④SDGs. The Dialogue, which was held on 30 September, provided a platform for ITU-D Members and partners, including public and private sector entities, academic institutions and other stakeholders to engage in the activities of BDT.

ITU-D Study Groups provide an opportunity for all Member States, Sector Members, Associates and Academia to share experiences, present ideas, exchange views, and achieve consensus on appropriate strategies to address ICT priorities. They are responsible for developing Reports, Guidelines, and Recommendations based on input received from the membership. Information is gathered through surveys, contributions and case studies.

]]>Promoting the use of ICTs in Disaster Risk preparednesshttp://newslog.itu.int/archives/1370
Wed, 28 Sep 2016 12:10:57 +0000http://newslog.itu.int/?p=1370Two days before Typhoon Haiyan (locally known as Yolanda) made landfall in central Philippines on 8 November 2013, Engineer Romarico Cabellon, a municipal planning and development coordinator in San Remigio was busy ensuring the timely delivery of essential relief supplies to areas that had been designated as evacuation centers by the local authorities. “We distributed food supplies, prepared stock of medicines, provided relief workers with telephone lines, mobile phones and ensured there was internet connection. We made every effort to ensure the evacuation centers would stay in touch with the main disaster coordination center in the city.”

But nothing was to prepare Engineer Cabellon for what was to come next. As the storm barreled across San Remigio City, many of the evacuation centers he had helped to prepare could not withstand the force of the storm. Roofs were blown off, walls collapsed, trees were uprooted and strewn hundreds of meters from where they once stood.

“In the midst of the storm, power supply went out and within minutes our communication lines both landline and mobiles were went down too. We were not just on darkness but we were out of reach’’ says Cabellon.

“In the evacuation center we sheltered, people resorted to using their mobile phone to provide some light, but soon this was gone as batteries ran out of charge. With no light and means to communicate, the storm seemed to last a lifetime. With no internet access it was impossible to send damage assessment reports to government and humanitarian actors responding to the disaster. All we could do was wait for help to arrive.”

He says it was not until the fourth day after the storm that communication links were restored in San Remigio. “Reaching family and friends was still difficult due to network congestion and lack of sufficient power to charge the phone batteries. We had to wait in long queues to charge our phones. But amidst the destruction that was all round us the wait didn’t seem to matter. All people wanted was to find out if their families were safe,” he remembers.

When Typhoon Haiyan made landfall in the Central Philippines, it killed and maimed many people and caused devastating destruction that led to economic ruin. Strong winds, heavy rains that resulted in flooding, landslides, and widespread damage left over 9.5 million people affected, with almost 620,000 displaced from their homes. The typhoon destroyed much of the telecommunications network in the region, for a significant amount of time, which slowed down humanitarian response.

Within hours of the disaster, ITU deployed emergency telecommunication equipment that helped ensure that essential telecommunications services could be quickly provided through satellite, to enable much-needed support for search and rescue services, coordination of relief assistance as well as the need for families to re-establish contacts.

“Restoring telecommunication services in the aftermath of a disaster is critical to ensure timely response by governments and aid workers to deliver much needed assistance and save lives,” says Mr. Brahima Sanou, Director of the ITU’s Telecommunication Development Bureau (BDT). “Information and communication technologies have the potential to lessen the risks brought on by disasters through early warning, coordinating and tracking relief activities, collating and disseminating information.”

Restoring communication links in San Remigio city

He adds, “the successful deployment of the Movable and Deployable Resource Unit stands out as a major illustration of the fruitful co-operation that exists between ITU, Japan and the Philippines.”

“When a disaster strikes and communication lines are destroyed, the use of ICTs to quickly re-establish connectivity is critical,” says Mr. Cosmas Zavazava, Chief of Department, Project Support and Knowledge Management of BDT. “Disaster risk reduction and management using modern communication technologies are vital in countries and communities that are vulnerable to natural disasters, this was quite evident when I went to the Philippines to assist in disaster response efforts in the immediate aftermath of the Cyclone. Better preparedness that includes institutional and human capacity building, robust early warning systems, and good Standard Operating Procedures are all essential for saving lives”

San Remigio municipality in Cebu Island was one of the municipalities whose telecommunication infrastructure sustained enormous damage.

As part of the efforts to expedite the restoration of telecommunication connectivity, the Government of the Philippines initiated a programme which would use mobile ICT facilities to provide telecommunication/ICT services. The technology proposed by the government was the Movable and Deployable ICT Resource Unit (MDRU), an ICT based telecommunications system that can be deployed to provide broadband communications in the event of a natural disaster.

In May 2014, the programme received a boost following the signing of a co-operation agreement between ITU, the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (MIC) of Japan and the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) of the Philippines to test the feasibility of the MDRU in disaster-affected areas, including a suitable location for installation.

In Japan, development of the MDRU started in response to the Great East Japan Earthquake of 2011. The scope of the feasibility study also included providing training to local key personnel on the operation and management of the MDRU system, as well as training to enhance disaster management planning structure and capacity in the local communities for better disaster preparedness.

The testing and commissioning of the MDRU was completed in February 2015 and handed over to the San Remigio municipality administration.

The Movable & Deployable ICT Resource Unit (MDRU) van

“With the frequency and intensity of disasters on the increase in the Asia-Pacific region, it is crucial to identify suitable technologies to be used for emergency telecommunications and assist Member States at all phases of disaster management,” says Mr. Ioane Koroivuki, ITU Regional Director for the Asia-Pacific Region. “The MDRU will go a long way to enhance the capacity of the community in San Remigio to prepare and respond to disasters and ultimately save lives.”

During the testing phase, 50 people were trained on the basic operations of the MDRU. Results from a simulated emergency drill showed that the unit can be activated to provide telecommunication/ICT services within 15 minutes. Responders using mobile phones linked to the MDRU were able to send data, pictures and voice messages from the field to the emergency operation center.

The MDRU is equipped with an array of communications equipment, servers, storage devices, and designed to bring not only a communications infrastructure but also data center functions to a disaster-stricken area in a very short notice.

The MDRU can also act as a data center allowing relief workers to track people who are displaced by a disaster. The unit is self-reliant, running on its own power source, but it is also able to harness other power sources such as generators or local active power lines.

Engineer Cabellon was among those trained on how to assemble and deploy the MDRU. “This is one of the many positive outcomes of the disaster San Remigio went through,” he says.

“Although we may never be able to prevent disasters from happening, the MDRU will go a long way to complement our disaster preparedness measures. Being able to communicate during and after a disaster is critical to reaching those who are affected,” he adds.

]]>Successful conclusion of the ITU/PITA Regional Radiocommunication Seminar and Forum for Asia-Pacifichttp://newslog.itu.int/archives/1369
Mon, 26 Sep 2016 11:50:56 +0000http://newslog.itu.int/?p=1369Apia Forum examined bridging the digital divide through the use of radiocommunication technologies

The Regional Radiocommunication Seminar and Forum 2016 for the Asia and Pacific Region (RRS-16 Asia Pacific), held 19-22 September in Apia, Samoa, successfully generated a renewed commitment to collaboration and capacity-building programs for the region.

Jointly organized by ITU and the Pacific Islands Telecommunication Association (PITA), in collaboration with Samoa’s Ministry of Communication and Information and Technologies, and the Office of the Regulator, the seminar was attended by 65 participants from 15 countries representing a wide range of stakeholders from all around the Asia and Pacific region.

Geneva, 20 September 2016 : ITU and UN Women joined together today to launch EQUALS: The Global Partnership for Gender Equality in the Digital Age, a coalition of programmes dedicated to women and girls in technology with a vision of harnessing the power of modern information and communication technologies (ICTs) to accelerate global progress to bridge the gender digital divide.

“It’s time to make the world more equal,” said Houlin Zhao, ITU Secretary-General. “ICTs are an essential pathway towards gender equality and gender empowerment. So today, it is my honour to announce – along with UN Women – the launch of EQUALS, the Global Partnership for Gender Equality in the Digital Age, a programme where we will collaborate with partners to generate an unstoppable global movement where women and girls are equal participants in the digital technology revolution. Big challenges like these require better data, just as global problems require global action.”

]]>Press Release: Urgent Need to Address the Digital Divide if we are to achieve the Global Development Agenda by 2030http://newslog.itu.int/archives/1364
Tue, 20 Sep 2016 07:36:43 +0000http://newslog.itu.int/?p=1364Investment Solutions needed to build the Infrastructure needed for the Global roll-out of Broadband.

New York, 19 September 2016 : The Sustainable Development Goals cannot be achieved without affordable and universal access to ICTs and broadband connectivity, according to members of the Broadband Commission who met on 18 September for the annual Commission meeting, held on the eve of the opening of the 71st session of the UN General Assembly.

Ban Ki-Moon, United Nations Secretary General said: “The Broadband Commission’s actions have produced results which are beyond my greatest expectations. It is now taken as a given around the globe that sustainable development is only possible if ICTs, and particularly broadband, are deployed as a cross cutting catalyst for all three pillars of sustainable development. Thanks to the work of the Broadband Commission, the ITU and UNESCO and many others. Member States agreed last year in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development that information and communication technology (ICT), and global interconnectedness has great potential to accelerate human progress, to bridge the digital divide and to develop knowledge societies.”

Geneva, 16 September 2016: Interoperability enables users worldwide to make electronic payment transactions with any other user – regardless of their service provider – in a convenient, affordable, fast, seamless and secure way via a single transaction account. However this remains a challenge in some of the world’s poorest countries where very few mobile payment schemes are truly interoperable. Yet, with as many as 2 billion people globally being either un-banked or underbanked, interoperability is a critical factor in the drive to achieve global financial inclusion.

Consequently, interoperability is a key work stream within the ITU’s Focus Group on Digital Financial Services, established to develop and disseminate best practice guidelines for policy and decision makers, operators and providers in the digital financial services sector.

‘The challenge can be quite complex involving a number of different entities’, said ITU Secretary-General Houlin Zhao. ‘Today we have published two reports to help address these interoperability challenges. We want to encourage the development of competitive payment systems that deliver fair access to their services. We also want to see national payment systems driving collaboration and innovation to benefit a broader range of stakeholders.’

UN Broadband Commission releases new country-by-country data on state of broadband access worldwide

Geneva, 15 September, 2016 – India has overtaken the United States to become the world’s second largest Internet market, with 333 million users, trailing China’s 721 million. But a new report released today by the UN Broadband Commission for Sustainable Development also confirms that just six nations – including China and India – together account for 55% of the total global population still offline, because of the sheer size of their populations.

While Internet access is approaching saturation in richer nations, connectivity is still not advancing fast enough to help bridge development gaps in areas like education and health care for those in poorer parts of the world, according to the 2016 edition of The State of Broadband report.

Globally, an estimated 3.9 billion people are not using the Internet. But the Commission’s new report estimates that, between them, China, India, Indonesia, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Nigeria account for 55% of all unconnected people, while 20 countries – including the US – account for a full 75% of those not using the Internet. These findings suggest that targeted efforts in just a few key markets could help enormously in redressing the gaping ‘digital divide’ between those who are online and those still offline.

]]>ITU Blog: Could technical standards for Artificial Intelligence help us achieve the Sustainable Development Goals?http://newslog.itu.int/archives/1358
Tue, 13 Sep 2016 15:00:51 +0000http://newslog.itu.int/?p=1358The World Economic Forum has identified Artificial Intelligence (AI) as one of the top 6 trends shaping our society. Gartner’s 2016 Hype Cycle for Emerging Technologies has the perceptual smart machine age as a top 3 trend. And Tesla and SpaceX founder Elon Musk has said that “we should be very careful about artificial intelligence … it is perhaps our biggest existential threat.”

But what is AI, and is our wariness of unintended consequences obstructing our view of the great benefits it could bring humanity? What are the implications to society, economic development, and our paths to prosperity?

The ‘AI of Everything’ era

The near future will see large parts of our lives influenced by the AI of Everything (AoE) – an inflection point for humankind.

]]>ITU Blog: Connecting the next 1.5 billion needs targeted multi-stakeholder effortshttp://newslog.itu.int/archives/1356
Tue, 13 Sep 2016 13:53:20 +0000http://newslog.itu.int/?p=1356In the second installment of our sneak preview blogs from contributors to the 2016 State of Broadband Report, an American diplomat reveals a plan to build stronger offline relationships to help advance #ICT4SDG. The Global Connect Initiative for Accelerating Global Internet Adoption is a big partnership for the goals, Sustainable Development Goal 17.

In early 2015, the global Internet passed a critical threshold of three billion Internet users. By the end of 2016, internet adoption will grow from just over 3.2 billion at the end of 2015 to almost 3.5 billion.

While this growth is to be applauded, much more effort is needed to ensure that the benefits of the Internet spread to the remaining 3.9 billion people without Internet access. It is now well- established that Internet connectivity is one of the most important drivers of economic growth and opportunity.

]]>ITU Blog: The Highways of Tomorrowhttp://newslog.itu.int/archives/1355
Tue, 13 Sep 2016 13:43:17 +0000http://newslog.itu.int/?p=1355In the first of three blogs this week that will feature some of the expert insights from the forthcoming 2016 State of Broadband Commission Report, Sunil Bharti Mittal, the founder and chairman of Bharti Enterprises, describes how his company, Bharti Airtel Limited, is building a network to bring broadband connectivity to a billion people in India and contributing exceptionally to using information communication technology (ICT) to achieving Sustainable Development Goal 1 (no poverty).

The full report will be published here on 15 September 2016.
Over the last two years, mobile broadband subscriptions (including 3G/4G) in India have grown by nearly 2.5 times. But with just 137 million customers and a broadband penetration rate of just 13%, compared with a mobile penetration rate of 80%, India’s digital leap is just starting. Given the massive opportunity to expand broadband connectivity in the country, India is truly the “next big frontier” of the digital world.

To realize this massive digital opportunity, the Indian Government is currently implementing a transformational rural connectivity programme – ‘Digital India’ – which aims to connect 2.5 million panchayats (village councils) through broadband.

]]>Press Release: Policymakers place Smart Sustainable Cities at the heart of the New Urban Agendahttp://newslog.itu.int/archives/1354
Fri, 09 Sep 2016 21:55:46 +0000http://newslog.itu.int/?p=1354Smart cities and ICTs seen as a keys to unlocking the potential of Sustainable Development Goals

Geneva, 09 September 2016 –Policymakers pledged today to take the key actions needed to achieve a successful transition to Smart Sustainable Cities in the “Montevideo Declaration” , which was adopted by ministers, city mayors, businesses and academics meeting at the 6th annual ITU Green Standards Week in Uruguay’s capital.

The declaration promotes the use of the internationally agreed Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) currently being applied by several major cities around the world, along with international technical standards, to achieve sustainable development in urban areas. It aims to unlock the potential of ICTs for sustainable urbanization, create a critical knowledge base, encourage the use of open data platforms, develop solutions for e-waste management and finally make ICT accessibility a reality.

]]>PRESS RELEASE: ITU’s Global Symposium on Capacity Building identifies new ICT skills required in the digital erahttp://newslog.itu.int/archives/1353
Fri, 09 Sep 2016 20:19:28 +0000http://newslog.itu.int/?p=1353Entrepreneurs, experts and policy-makers recognize vital role of human capacity building in realizing 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development

Nairobi, 09 September 2016

Over 400 participants attending ITU’s Global ICT Capacity Building Symposium (CBS2016, Nairobi, 6-8 September) pledged continued commitment to education and training in information and communications technologies (ICTs) to help countries achieve the Sustainable Development Goals by leveraging major digital technology transformation.

The symposium, opened by His Excellency William Ruto, Deputy President of the Republic of Kenya, welcomed Ministers, Directors-General, Regulatory Authorities, academics, entrepreneurs, and students from around the world, who engaged in discussions on future priorities for capacity building, new skills requirements in a fast changing ICT environment, and new ways of learning in the digital era.

]]>ITU Blog: How ITU’S child online protection efforts help address the UN Sustainable Development Goalshttp://newslog.itu.int/archives/1351
Fri, 09 Sep 2016 13:29:49 +0000http://newslog.itu.int/?p=1351Information and communication technologies (ICTs) are now crucial tools for children’s education. But these new tools can bring new risks to our most vulnerable digital citizens.

For example, a new report shows that up to 1 in 6 children in the United Kingdom are online from the age of 3 or under, with 25% using the Internet before they start school. Meanwhile, six in ten children surveyed in another new report said they worry about cyber-bullying, and 16% said that cyberbullying was a bigger concern than real-life bullying.

WTSA is held every four years for ITU members to refine the strategic direction of the ITU Telecommunication Standardization Sector (ITU-T). The Assembly will review ITU-T’s structure, working methods and mechanisms for collaboration with other standards bodies, SMEs and open-source communities, and the many vertical sectors applying ICTs as enabling technologies.

WTSA-16 is an opportunity to ensure that ITU standardization remains well positioned to support the development of the Information Society. The decisions of the Assembly will shape ITU-T into a form optimized to assist government, industry and academia in achieving their ambitions for the year 2020 and beyond, in fields including IMT-2020 (5G), the Internet of Things, Smart Cities, and the ICT sector’s contribution to the pursuit of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals.

]]>ITU Blog: ITU partners with IBM Watson’s XPRIZE to promote AI innovationhttp://newslog.itu.int/archives/1357
Tue, 06 Sep 2016 15:00:55 +0000http://newslog.itu.int/?p=1357Data volumes are soaring to previously unimaginable heights. More data has been created in the past two years than in the entire history of humanity. 2.5 quintillion (that is, one-billion billion) bytes of data are produced every day by sensors, mobile devices, online transactions and social networking. It is predicted that, by 2020, each person on the planet will account for the creation of an average of 1.7 megabytes of new data every second.

Drawing meaningful insight from such vast amounts data is beyond our capabilities as humans, but perhaps not those of machines. Artificial Intelligence (AI) and machine learning have the potential to make sense of gargantuan datasets with multiple variables, leading us to ask: what if humans could collaborate with powerful AI technologies to collect and analyze data in the interests of solving the problems most relevant to the future of civilization on our planet?

This is the question that inspired the creation of the IBM Watson AI XPRIZE, a 5 million USD competition that aims to accelerate the development of scalable AI solutions to address humanity’s grandest challenges.

Nairobi, 06 September 2016 : Over 500 participants from government, business, academia, non-governmental organizations and the United Nations family are meeting in Nairobi this week to formulate and optimize human capacity building strategies for the information and communication technology (ICT) sector, to improve’ digital skills and empower countries to take full advantage of strong continued growth in ICT-related jobs.

Organized by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), the UN specialized agency for ICTs, and hosted by the Communications Authority of Kenya, the global ICT Capacity Building Symposium (CBS-2016) provides an opportunity for stakeholders from across the world to discuss trends and developments in the sector and their implications for human and institutional capacity building, and to develop strategies to accelerate progress towards the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) at a time of major digital technology transformation.

]]>Communiqué: World’s leading standards bodies join forces in support of smart citieshttp://newslog.itu.int/archives/1345
Thu, 25 Aug 2016 13:20:45 +0000http://newslog.itu.int/?p=1345Coalition to develop the standardized interfaces essential to the interconnection of city systems

Inspired by dialogue at the World Smart City Forum in Singapore, 13 July 2016, representatives of IEC, ISO, ITU, IEEE, CEN-CENELEC and ETSI convened at a follow-up meeting initiated by IEC to discuss means of accelerating and better aligning their standardization work in support of Smart Cities. The shared commitment to cooperation resulting from the meeting is expected to assist the standardization community in developing a well-coordinated contribution to the upcoming Habitat III.

Geneva, 24 August 2016: Local and international journalists are invited to submit their credentials for official media accreditation for ITU’s upcoming Global ICT Capacity Building Symposium (CBS-2016), which will take place in Nairobi, Kenya, from 6 to 8 September 2016.

The symposium is organized by ITU, the UN specialized agency for information and communication technologies (ICTs) and hosted by the Government of Kenya under the theme “Embracing Capacity Building Opportunities in the Digital Era”. It brings together thought leaders from all over the world including government ministers, Directors-General of regulatory authorities, heads of UN organizations, CEOs of private sector companies, representatives from universities and research institutions, human capacity building executives and other experts in ICT capacity building.

Geneva, 17 August 2016 – ITU Telecom World 2016 opened the accreditation process today for media wishing to attend the world’s leading ICT innovation event. Taking place from 14-17 November in Bangkok, Thailand, the event will focus on collaboration in the digital economy and the key role SMEs play in our digital ecosystem.

ITU Telecom World 2016 combines a global technology exhibition, a forum for sharing knowledge, a networking hub for corporations, governments and SMEs and an influential Awards programme. It provides a unique international platform to bring together thinkers from developed and emerging markets, public and private sector leaders, and industry representatives from across the entire ICT ecosystem. Key highlights include:

Leadership Summit & Forum: Discussions will begin with the top level leadership summit, with highest-level speakers from public and private sectors exploring the reasons why working together is crucial for growth in the digital economy. Forum sessions will then explore industry-critical topics including 5G, collaborative regulation, the connected car, smart sustainable cities, fostering SME innovation, digital financial services and more.

]]>ITU Blog: Can Orange and AT&T accelerate open-source and standards for NFV/SDN?http://newslog.itu.int/archives/1342
Tue, 16 Aug 2016 13:30:15 +0000http://newslog.itu.int/?p=1342Network function virtualization (NFV) and software defined networking (SDN) are seen as crucial to the future of the telecoms industry, with carriers keen to grasp new opportunities to innovate and increase the dynamism of their networks.

Last month, Orange and AT&T announced that they would collaborate on NFV/SDN open-source initiatives and standardization efforts, aiming to make the “SDN and NFV vision and benefits more accessible for both businesses and the industry.”

The two telco giants hope to accelerate the networking business’ adoption of ‘softwarization’, a major shift in networking expected to give operators greater flexibility and cost-efficiency. “We think the two companies and other carriers can accelerate the standards work,” Roman Pacewicz, Senior Vice President, Offer Management and Service Integration, AT&T Business Solutions, told Telecom TV. “We don’t think we’re moving fast enough as an industry and we want to put more adrenaline in it.”

The partnership will “identify appropriate forums for industry standardization discussions to drive standardization efforts forward,” according to a joint statement. Both Orange and AT&T already participate in a wide range of standards bodies, which raises a number of questions around what their announcement really means to industry’s efforts to propel NFV/SDN innovation.

The 6th ITU Green Standards Week (GSW) will explore the importance of technical standardization in enabling the transition to Smart Sustainable Cities. In preparation for the upcoming Habitat III, participants will work towards the agreement of a declaration highlighting the fundamental role to be played by ICTs in sustainable urban development.

Green Standards Week (GSW) will be held in Montevideo, Uruguay, 5-9 September 2016, hosted by the Municipality of Montevideo. GSW is organized by ITU in partnership with the Municipality of Montevideo (IMM); the Inter-American Association of Telecommunication Enterprises (ASIET); the Economic Commission for Latin American and the Caribbean (ECLAC); the Basel Convention Regional Centre for the South American Region (CRBAS); and the Development Bank of Latin America (CAF).

GSW will gather policymakers, regulators, urban planners, standards experts, academics and more to discuss strategies to enact Smart Sustainable Cities, in a series of events composed as follows:

The stage for the meeting’s discussions will be set by a panel of mayors, sharing insight into mayors’ visions of the urban innovation required for the cities they serve to meet the sustainability challenges of the 21st century.

Accompanying sessions will host in-depth analyses of technical solutions to urban challenges, as well as standardized tools to measure the relative success of smart-city projects. Other topics to be discussed include smart governance, the dynamics of the emerging ‘sharing economy’ and the responsible management of e-waste.

The meeting will conclude with an exploration of the case of Montevideo’s smart-city strategy. The case study will shed light on the city’s efforts to develop a virtual map of its physical components and processes, and the specifics of related technologies, applications, platforms and management centres.

8 September: XVII Ibero-American Meeting of Digital Cities

The meeting will feature the presentation of ASIET awards for smart-city innovation, and participants will also be introduced to the ranking of digital cities resulting from a study undertaken by ASIET.

Accompanying sessions will explore contemporary challenges to city governance and the wellbeing of city inhabitants, particularly in relation to the relevance of Smart Sustainable Cities to the United Nations’ 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

A session focused on the Internet of Things (IoT) in the context of smart cities will discuss the potential of IoT technologies and applications to drive improvements in urban efficiency and sustainability, in parallel discussing related opportunities for ICT entrepreneurship in Latin America. These discussions of the potential of IoT will be matched with an analysis of strategies to mitigate related risks, especially with respect to technical interoperability and information security.

9 September: Forum on “Building the Cities we want: Connecting the dots for the New Urban Agenda”

The Forum will discuss the potential of Smart Sustainable City strategies to set cities on a development course characterized by environmental sustainability, resilience, energy efficiency and equitable social and economic growth.

Decision-makers of the Latin American region will highlight the present-day and expected future challenges that have led policy initiatives around the world to focus on the development of Smart Sustainable Cites.

The Forum will build on these discussions to distill Latin America’s priorities for the ICT-related deliberations of Habitat III.

]]>Video interview with Standards Director Chaesub Lee on the importance of WTSA-16http://newslog.itu.int/archives/1339
Fri, 05 Aug 2016 11:00:43 +0000http://newslog.itu.int/?p=1339The World Telecommunication Standardization Assembly (WTSA) is an ITU governing conference held every four years for ITU members to define the strategic direction and structure of the ITU Telecommunication Standardization Sector (ITU-T).

The overarching objective of WTSA is to ensure that ITU-T remains well positioned to support the development of the Information Society.

Standardization is a tool that provides vital assistance to information and communication technology (ICT) innovation, and WTSA-16 is an opportunity to ensure that ITU-T provides its membership with a standardization toolkit optimized to assist government and industry in achieving their priorities for 2020 and beyond.

Learn more about the Assembly from this video interview with Chaesub Lee, Director of ITU-T.

WTSA-16 will be held from 25 October to 3 November in Hammamet, Tunisia. Learn more about the Assembly here…

]]>ITU Blog: Championing interoperability for financial inclusionhttp://newslog.itu.int/archives/1337
Thu, 04 Aug 2016 10:00:20 +0000http://newslog.itu.int/?p=1337Interoperability – a term used in a variety of industries, including telecommunications and financial services – is generally understood to refer to the ability of different systems and sometimes even different products to seamlessly interact. For payment systems, “interoperability” depends not only on the technical ability of two platforms to interact but also the contractual relationships between the entities wanting to interact. Traditionally, interoperability has been established by the same type of institutions, by banks’ participation in a central retail payment infrastructure (e.g. a central switch or an automated clearing house) and adhering to a payment scheme (e.g. a card scheme or a credit transfer scheme).

These days interoperability in retail payments is no longer limited by national borders and the overall ecosystem has become more complex. Non-bank payment service providers have emerged (many of them mobile network operators-MNOs) and there are new types of payment instruments (e.g. mobile money). Innovative payment instruments often start as proprietary solutions, processed in-house rather than via a central platform. In that regard, interoperability can help tear down barriers by enabling transactions between customer accounts of different mobile money solutions. In some countries, interoperability even facilitates transactions across different type of accounts (e.g. deposit transaction accounts held with banks and mobile money accounts held with non-bank service providers).

]]>United for Smart Sustainable Cities advocacy platform: Leadership team and terms of reference announcedhttp://newslog.itu.int/archives/1336
Thu, 04 Aug 2016 06:00:05 +0000http://newslog.itu.int/?p=1336The first meeting of the United for Smart Sustainable Cities (U4SSC) global initiative held in Geneva, 21-22 July, has appointed the initiative’s leadership team and agreed the Terms of Reference to guide the advocacy to be undertaken by its three working groups.

ITU and UNECE launched the U4SSC initiative to advocate for public policy to emphasize the importance of information and communication technologies (ICTs) in enabling the transition to smart sustainable cities. Open to all United Nations agencies, municipalities, industry, academia and other relevant stakeholders, the U4SSC initiative will focus on the integration of ICTs in urban operations, building on existing international standards and key performance indicators (KPIs). The initiative will assist the response to Goal 11 of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs): to “Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable”. Read more about the May 2016 launch of the initiative in an ITU press release.

The U4SSC initiative will be co-chaired by Daiva Matoniene, Vice-Minister of the Ministry of Environment of Lithuania, and Nasser Al Marzouqi, Chairman of ITU-T Study Group 20 (IoT and Smart Cities). Paolo Gemma, Senior Specialist at Huawei, has taken up the role of U4SSC Vice-Chair.

Working Group 1 will explore the tenets of “Future Living”, initially by setting the framework with respect to urban planning and related policy, regulation and KPIs. The group’s next objective is to develop a smart governance platform to guide urban planners’ efforts to achieve the urban-development targets of the SDGs. The platform will capture and analyze data to assist urban planners, for example, in the implementation and monitoring of policies to achieve Goal 11 of the SDGs through urban-planning interventions. This smart governance “dashboard” will act as an interface between city administrations and the public. The resultant platform is intended to be of great value in exploring the possibilities of open data, especially in terms of the interoperability of the datasets produced by systems internal and external to a city.

Working Group 2: Connecting Cities and Communities

Co-chaired by John Smiciklas, Building Owners and Managers Association of Canada, and Hazem Galal, PricewaterhouseCoopers.

Working Group 2 will develop policy recommendations to encourage the transition to smart cities and communities, assisting stakeholders in their efforts to move beyond pilot projects and demonstrations to sustainable smart-city innovation. The group will analyze the key lessons learnt from cities that have successfully planned and implemented initiatives for smart living and mobility and the protection of the environment. The exercise is expected to yield policy recommendations to guide the design and implementation of smart-city projects, considering enabling factors in areas such as leadership, innovation, governance, partnerships, business models, financing and ICT.

Working Group 3: Enhancing Innovation and Participation

Co-chaired by Okan Geray of Smart Dubai Office and Kari Aina Eik, Secretary General of the Organization for International Economic Relations.

Working Group 3 will put forward policy frameworks with the aim of achieving strong and symbiotic governance models, economic activities and social wellbeing. The group will explore the potential of ICT to improve public services by leveraging open data and inclusive smart governance models. It will study ICT-related policy issues relevant to economic productivity and competitiveness, R&D and innovation, with a focus on encouraging public-private collaboration in efforts to develop sustainable business models for smart-city projects. These studies will be accompanied by investigation into innovation ecosystems and associated policy principles capable of increasing urban societies’ capacity to enhance personal and professional skills, entrepreneurship and creativity.

]]>ITU Blog: Perspectives from Pakistan – women in ICT engineeringhttp://newslog.itu.int/archives/1335
Wed, 03 Aug 2016 14:45:43 +0000http://newslog.itu.int/?p=1335“Why are you wasting your time and money on engineering? All you’ll ever be is a housewife,” said one discouraging voice. Another spoke softly, “You poor soul, engineering isn’t for women.” A professor in my first year of engineering studies said on multiple occasions that she didn’t want to ‘waste’ a lot of time trying to explain complex engineering concepts to us on the grounds that they were far too ‘technical’ for girls.

In my experience as a female engineering student in Pakistan, I have found that the gender bias still exists in the discouraging attitudes towards girls in engineering.

In a country where a little over 50% of the population is female, it’s crucial for women to shape our country’s future in the engineering industry alongside men. Sure, there are working women with a background in engineering in Pakistan; but the male-to-female ratio in this field is unsatisfactory. It hurts our nation socially and economically to have such a large portion of our population not contribute to its development.

The HLPF was marked by passionate support for achieving the ambitious goals, and as the President of the General Assembly said in his opening statement, “We should shout from the rooftops that realizing the SDGs is possible with the mix of political ambition, multistakeholder partnerships and relentless focus.”

To that mix, we should add ‘connectivity’. Because without connectivity, it will not just be a question of ‘ensuring that no one is left behind’, but a question of not leaving half of the global population behind.

]]>ITU Blog: Enhanced VSAT security through Security Baselineshttp://newslog.itu.int/archives/1333
Mon, 01 Aug 2016 13:17:55 +0000http://newslog.itu.int/?p=1333Over the past couple of years, there has been an increased attention paid to the security and trustworthiness of the products and services from the Satellite Communications (SATCOM) industry. This focus has been driven by customer needs, increased scrutiny from security researchers, and concerns raised by regulatory bodies.

In response to these concerns, the Global VSAT Forum (GVF) created a Cyber-Security Task Force in 2014 to bring together experts from across the industry to tackle the security challenge across the sector. The task force continues to drive enhanced security for Very Small Aperture Terminal (VSAT) systems through a series of specifications that are being adopted by numerous organizations.

]]>ITU Blog: Meet a #WSIS Prize Champion: PlacesToGohttp://newslog.itu.int/archives/1332
Mon, 01 Aug 2016 13:17:30 +0000http://newslog.itu.int/?p=1332PlacesToGo was a 2016 WSIS Prize Champion for Cultural diversity and identity, linguistic diversity and local content. Natalia Ovsyako told ITU News about the project and explained how World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) participants are supporting the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals through their projects.

With primeval forests, a range of summer and winter activities and a hearty national cuisine, Belarus is a great place for tourists looking for a unique holiday.

In 2014, 137,000 international tourists arrived in Belarus to enjoy our diverse national culture, and with so much to see and do we developed PlacesToGo, a student-led project designed to attract tourists to the unusual and peaceful places of Belarus.

]]>ITU Blog: How can AI-powered cars help make cities smarter?http://newslog.itu.int/archives/1331
Mon, 01 Aug 2016 13:15:57 +0000http://newslog.itu.int/?p=1331Artificial Intelligence (AI)-based equipment will increasingly become standard in both infotainment and in advanced driver assisted systems (ADAS) and autonomous vehicle applications, according to a recent Automotive Electronics Roadmap Report from IHS.

The report indicates that “…unit shipments of artificial intelligence (AI) systems used in infotainment and ADAS systems are expected to rise from just seven million in 2015 to 122 million by 2025.” It explains that the attach rate of AI-based systems in new vehicles was a mere 8% in 2015, but is set to rise to 109% in 2025, as multiple AI systems are routinely installed.

]]>Media Advisory: ITU/UN Women GEM-TECH Award nominations close in 1 week!http://newslog.itu.int/archives/1329
Tue, 26 Jul 2016 10:08:04 +0000http://newslog.itu.int/?p=1329Global awards recognize the power of information & communication technology to promote gender equalityGeneva, 25 July 2016 – There’s just one week left for companies, governments, NGOs and individuals to get their nominations in for the annual Gender Equality and Mainstreaming in Technology (GEM-TECH) Awards, a joint ITU/UN Women prize recognizing outstanding efforts in using the power of information and communication technology (ICT) to empower women and girls.

Promoting Women in the Technology Sector: initiatives that promote more gender equality in ICT/STEM education and careers, especially initiatives where girls and women are cultivated as creators, developers, leaders and decision-makers.

]]>Press release: High Level Speakers to lead ITU Telecom World Forum discussions on importance of collaboration for digital growthhttp://newslog.itu.int/archives/1326
Fri, 22 Jul 2016 13:39:07 +0000http://newslog.itu.int/?p=1326Representatives from different continents and sectors will spark global debateGeneva, 22 July 2016 – Speakers from governments and industry from around the world will provide contrasting perspectives on the theme of “Collaborating in the Digital Economy” at this year’s ITU Telecom World event.

The annual meeting of global leaders in information technology will be held on 14-17 November in Bangkok, Thailand.

Current confirmed speakers include:

Shamshad Akhtar, Executive Secretary of The United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP)

The Leadership Summit will kick off the event, bringing together public and private sector leaders who will explore the reasons why working together is crucial for growth in the digital economy. Subsequent Telecom World sessions will explore topics key to the future of telecommunications and development, including 5G, collaborative regulation, the connected car, smart sustainable cities, fostering SME innovation, digital financial services and more.

]]>Press release: ITU releases 2016 ICT figureshttp://newslog.itu.int/archives/1328
Fri, 22 Jul 2016 13:38:54 +0000http://newslog.itu.int/?p=1328ICT services getting more affordable – but more than half the world’s population still not using the InternetGeneva, 22 July 2016 – New data released today by ITU, the UN specialized agency for information and communication technology (ICT), show that 3.9 billion people remain cut-off from the vast resources available on the Internet, despite falling prices for ICT services.

ICT Facts & Figures 2016 shows that developing countries now account for the vast majority of Internet users, with 2.5 billion users compared with one billion in developed countries.

But Internet penetration rates tell a different story, with 81% in developed countries, compared with 40% in developing countries and 15% in the Least Developed Countries.

“Access to information and communication technologies, particularly broadband, has the potential to serve as a major accelerator of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Global interconnectedness is rapidly expanding, however more needs to be done to bridge the digital divide and bring the more than half of the global population not using the Internet into the digital economy,” said ITU Secretary-General Houlin Zhao.

Pokémon Go, the augmented reality (AR) game that uses mobile phone location data to help players catch digital creatures found in their environs which are then displayed on the phone’s screen, has taken the world by storm.

Users in several markets across the world can be seen walking, running and jumping after the fictional characters, often all at once. But, what impact does this have on the future of AR?

]]>ITU Blog: Microsoft’s LinkedIn deal highlights key ICT trendshttp://newslog.itu.int/archives/1323
Wed, 20 Jul 2016 13:56:04 +0000http://newslog.itu.int/?p=1323Microsoft’s deal to purchase LinkedIn at a 50% premium to its share price is one of the largest tech acquisitions in decades.

It will be important to watch how the USD26.2 billion deal is implemented, because the move spotlights two trends with big implications for the enterprise cloud market – and, in turn, for the broader information and communication technology (ICT) ecosystem. Productivity software is now a mature market that needs an infusion of sorts to retain profitability, while social networks are moving into the centre of our professional universe.

Of course, it will take a plan in place and integration that makes sense to culminate in a revenue stream that more than offsets the price tag.

]]>ITU Blog: Telco security collaboration – the tide that raises all shipshttp://newslog.itu.int/archives/1316
Thu, 14 Jul 2016 14:33:28 +0000http://newslog.itu.int/?p=1316European telecommunications operators, despite being fierce competitors in some markets, share a spirit of trust and collaboration in their approach to information security, a spirit of essential importance in making a stand against cybercrime. This spirit of trust and collaboration was evident at the recent meeting of the ETIS Information Security Working Group hosted at the iconic BT Tower in London, an event gathering over 30 European security professionals to share knowledge and best practices on the latest cybersecurity threats, opportunities and challenges facing the telecom industry.

The telco threat horizon

Some of the discussion points covered in the meeting included securing shadow IT, security in the supply chain, SDN & NFV security,automated threat intelligence, cloud security policy and the telco threat horizon.

Of special interest was the presentation of a “Telco Security Roadmap” identifying the key developments to affect telco security in coming years and qualifying each development in terms of nature, criticality and time horizon. The Roadmap reflects the collective mindset of European telco security professionals and was developed with the help of TNO, a member of both ITU and ETIS.

]]>Press Release: Managing the regulatory environment and consumer protection – latest reports from ITU Focus Group on Digital Financial Serviceshttp://newslog.itu.int/archives/1315
Tue, 12 Jul 2016 14:03:11 +0000http://newslog.itu.int/?p=1315Further clarification to help drive development of international framework for regulators, operators and providers in the telecom and financial services sectors

Geneva, 12 July 2016 – The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) Focus Group on Digital Financial Services has published two further reports as it seeks to develop an international framework of good practice guidelines for regulators, operators and providers in the telecom and financial services sectors. In addition to the four research papers published last month it has now released two new reports: one on regulation in the DFS ecosystem and another on consumer protection.

ITU Secretary-General Houlin Zhao said: “Regulation must nurture the development of a strong and healthy digital finance sector. Given the complexity of the regulatory environment, it can often be a challenge for telecom and financial services regulatory bodies in many emerging markets to collaborate in developing national guidelines. For the first time the Focus Group has sought to identify a clear framework that regulators around the world can use. I believe also that the work being done will contribute significantly towards reducing global poverty, helping therefore to achieve the first Sustainable Development Goal”

Geneva, 11 July 2016 – The Broadband Commission for Sustainable Development today issued a statement urging policymakers, the private sector and other partners to make deployment of broadband infrastructure a top priority in strategies to accelerate global development and progress towards the SDGs.

]]>Communiqué: Register now for Special UN event on ICTs and Sustainable Developmenthttp://newslog.itu.int/archives/1312
Mon, 11 Jul 2016 07:35:41 +0000http://newslog.itu.int/?p=1312Geneva, 8 July 2016 – A special side event featuring private and public sector experts will be held during the High Level Policy Forum (HLPF) in New York on 15 July 2016. This special side event will focus on how the spread of information and communication technology (ICT) and global interconnectedness has the potential to accelerate human progress, to bridge the digital divide and to develop knowledge societies, especially when working in tandem with scientific and technological innovations across areas as diverse as medicine and energy.

“ICTs are vital in driving progress towards achieving each and every one of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals,” said Houlin Zhao, ITU Secretary-General. “ICTs can empower billions of individuals around the world – by providing access to education resources and healthcare, and services such as mobile banking, e-government and social media, amongst others. We need to be better aware of the role ICTs can play from inspiration to action to multi-stakeholder engagement and implementation.”

]]>Enter the 2016 #speakstandards video competition!http://newslog.itu.int/archives/1310
Thu, 07 Jul 2016 09:52:51 +0000http://newslog.itu.int/?p=1310The 2016 #speakstandards video competition will imagine a world without international standards, demonstrating how difficult life would be without trusted standards for quality, safety, compatibility and more.

Contestants are asked to think of one example of something that would not work or would be less trustworthy in a world without international standards, and capture it in a 15-second video. The creator of the winning video will be awarded a cash prize of 1,500 Swiss francs, and the competition’s three runners-up will each receive a prize of 500 Swiss francs.

The deadline for submissions to the video competition is 15 August 2016, and contestants are welcome to submit up to three entries to the competition. The winning video will be decided by a public vote.

Learn more about the video competition and how you can participate here…

The competition’s Facebook page will provide interactive guidance to potential entrants throughout the course the competition.

The competition’s Twitter account will announce key dates and point followers to relevant supporting information.

The #speakstandards video competition is part of the build-up to World Standards Day, 14 October, which this year takes the theme: “Standards build trust”.

World Standards Day, 14 October, is an international day of observance recognized worldwide since 1970. Coordinated by IEC, ISO and ITU, World Standards Day celebrates the collaborative efforts of the thousands of public and private-sector experts that dedicate their time and expertise to the development of international standards.

International standards represent the consensus view of the world’s leading experts in industry sectors ranging from energy utilities and energy efficiency to transportation, management systems, climate change, healthcare, safety, and information and communication technology (ICT). Contributing their knowledge in service of the public interest, experts in these and many other areas come together to develop international standards that connect us with reliable modes of communication, codes of practice and trusted frameworks for cooperation.

See the entries to the 2015 #speakstandards video competition and learn more about the competition’s winners here…

]]>ITU Blog: The foundation of India’s new digital payments platformhttp://newslog.itu.int/archives/1309
Tue, 05 Jul 2016 14:00:18 +0000http://newslog.itu.int/?p=1309India’s government launched its “Unified Payment Interface” in April to bring basic financial services to Indian citizens using mobile-wireless technology. This would not have been possible without Aadhaar.

India’s biometric ID programme began in September 2010. Named Aadhaar after the Hindi word for foundation, it has since given a unique ID to over a billion Indians, providing the basis for inclusion in the formal financial system.

ID’s role in financial inclusion

India’s Aadhaar programme is considered the world’s largest national ID project, and all of India’s 1.25 billion people will have a unique ID before the close of 2016. It has created a system of unique IDs that functions as a building block to financial inclusion, as well as an enabler to the pursuit of development goals across a wide variety of industry sectors.

Geneva, 5 July 2016 – ITU has announced a new standard for High Dynamic Range Television that represents a major advance in television broadcasting. High Dynamic Range Television (HDR-TV) brings an incredible feeling of realism, building further on the superior colour fidelity of ITU’s Ultra-High Definition Television (UHDTV) Recommendation BT.2020. ITU’s Radiocommunication Sector (ITU-R) has developed the standard – or Recommendation – in collaboration with experts from the television industry, broadcasting organizations and regulatory institutions in its Study Group 6.

“High Dynamic Range Television will bring a whole new viewing experience to audiences around the world,” said ITU Secretary-General Houlin Zhao, welcoming the announcement. “TV programming will be enhanced with brighter pictures that add sparkle to entertainment and realism to news coverage.”

The Forum was organized by ITU in collaboration with Brazil’s telecommunications regulator Agência Nacional de Telecomunicações Agência (ANATEL).

The Forum reviewed progress made in the implementation of the Dubai Action Plan with particular emphasis on the five Regional Initiatives for the Americas. Participants at the Forum also discussed innovative proposals to accelerate the development of telecommunications in the region, and also provided contributions to the Regional Preparatory Meeting for the next World Telecommunications Development Conference (WTDC-17).

The Regional Preparatory Meeting for the Americas will be held from 1 to 3 March 2017 in Paraguay. It will be preceded by the Regional Development Forum on 28 February.

“The implementation of the Regional Initiatives is at the center of our actions and activities,” said Mr Brahima Sanou, Director of the ITU’s Telecommunication Development Bureau. “It is through their implementation that we can make a difference at national and regional levels.”

He noted that ICTs will play a vital role in the attainment of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) adding that, “the Regional Development Forum represents an excellent platform for ITU, policy makers, the private sector, development partners and all stakeholders to share views on the real progress made in the development of the telecommunication/ICT sector in the Americas Region.”

Mr Sanou told the Forum that significant efforts are underway to prepare for the World Telecommunication Development Conference (WTDC-17) to be in Argentina from 9 to 20 October 2017.

Addressing the Forum, Mr João Rezende President of ANATEL, highlighted the successful partnership existing between ITU and ANATEL. He added, “this Forum opens up more opportunities to strengthen links and knowledge sharing between telecommunication/ICT institutions in the region with a view to improving on service delivery.”

During the Forum, Mr Bruno Ramos, ITU Regional Director for the Americas, presented a status report on the implementation of the five Regional Initiatives. He said, “the Regional Initiatives are a one stop guide to the implementation of concrete measures which will help to bridge the digital divide, and thus build an inclusive information society in the Americas.”

The Regional Initiatives for the Americas focus on the following areas: emergency telecommunications; spectrum management and transition to digital broadcasting; development of broadband access and adoption of broadband; reduction of telecommunication service prices and Internet access costs; and capacity building to engage in global ICT policy, with special focus on improving cybersecurity and developing countries’ participation in the existing Internet governance institutions.

Geneva, 30 June 2016 – Companies, government offices, NGOs and individuals are urged to get their nominations in for the annual Gender Equality and Mainstreaming in Technology (GEM-TECH) Awards, a joint ITU/UN Women prize recognizing outstanding efforts in using the power of information and communication technology (ICT) to empower women and girls.

Promoting Women in the Technology Sector: initiatives that promote more gender equality in ICT/STEM education and careers, especially initiatives where girls and women are cultivated as creators, developers, leaders and decision-makers.

A shortlist of nine finalists will be announced at the end of September, with the final three winners selected by a committee of experts from ITU, UN Women, and a panel comprising 2015 GEM-TECH winners.

]]>ITU Blog: Are ICTs deserving of our trust?http://newslog.itu.int/archives/1303
Wed, 29 Jun 2016 08:15:01 +0000http://newslog.itu.int/?p=1303To what extent are we willing to trust that data will be used for the purposes expressed by data custodians? How do we decide whether an information and communication technology (ICT) resource performs its function reliably enough to be deserving of our trust? And how are these decisions affected by the level of trust prevailing in the ICT ecosystem, an ecosystem where a technology’s ability to be trustworthy is affected by the degree to which it can trust the other technologies with which it interacts?

These questions will grow in importance as we approach year 2020, the expected arrival of the era of 5G, the Internet of Things (IoT) and Smart Sustainable Cities.

]]>ITU Blog: LDC’s 30-year push for equitable ICT accesshttp://newslog.itu.int/archives/1301
Wed, 22 Jun 2016 09:35:46 +0000http://newslog.itu.int/?p=1301The developing world has long been at the forefront of demanding equitable access to our digital world and the global innovation that it spurs every day.

I can personally trace this demand for digital equity back to ITU’s 1985 World Administrative Radio Conference in Geneva. At that time the developed world wanted to ‘prospect in space’ – ensuring it had its pick of the prime satellite orbit spots, but the developing world objected.

I attended the conference as a reporter for The Economist news magazine because it seemed odd to me and my editor why countries, who had neither the money nor the technology to launch communications satellites, cared so passionately about having equitable access to orbits.

]]>ITU Blog: Tracking illegal wildlife trade with #BigDatahttp://newslog.itu.int/archives/1300
Wed, 22 Jun 2016 09:09:37 +0000http://newslog.itu.int/?p=1300Great apes have disappeared from Gambia, Burkina Faso, Benin and Togo; a subspecies of Javan rhino went extinct in Vietnam in 2011 and the last western black rhinos have vanished from Cameroon; and up to 73 million sharks are killed a year for their fins.

The illegal wildlife trade has driven species to the brink of extinction and continues to endanger our global biodiversity. Though efforts to curb this activity have achieved some success, many animals are still at risk. This illegal activity has a wider socio-economic impact too, undermining economies, fueling organized crime, and feeding insecurity across the globe.

The need for innovative solutions and improved data to facilitate interventions to stop illegal wildlife trade has been noted by the United Nations and USAID-supported Wildlife Crime Tech Challenge.

Big data has the potential to fill this need. As noted by ITU News, “analysing more data in shorter spaces of time can lead to better, faster decisions in areas spanning finance, health and research.”

Geneva, 16 June 2016 – Today the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) Focus Group on Digital Financial Services has published the first of a series of thematic reports on Digital Financial Services, or DFS. The DFS Focus Group is looking at helping local policy and decision makers to accelerate their work on financial inclusion by providing practical tools, guidelines and recommendations on issues that are currently preventing the DFS market to develop organically. This represents the first step in developing an international roadmap of best practice guidelines for regulators, operators and providers in the telecom and financial services sectors and serving the unbanked in a sustainable manner.

Specifically focused around two of the four working groups, DFS Ecosystem and Consumer Experience and Protection, the four background documents were endorsed at the Focus Group’s recent meeting in Washington DC.

ITU Secretary-General Houlin Zhao said: “What makes this Focus Group different is its holistic approach. After more than a year of intensive work, experts are completing some preliminary analysis and have started to develop a robust and relevant framework together with very pragmatic recommendations that will hopefully deliver real change and opportunity.”

Geneva, 15 June 2016 – A two-day International Satellite Communication Symposium was held at ITU in Geneva, 13 – 14 June 2016. This followed the first ITU International Workshop on Preventing Harmful Interference to Satellite Systems held in Geneva in June 2013. More than 140 participants, including satellite operators and regulators, broadcasters, scientists and experts from the satellite industry attended the symposium to interact, share experience and discuss the effectiveness of existing and promising measures to combat satellite interference.

“Harmful interference, including malign, intentional interference involving satellite communications in particular is detrimental to the concept of an open information society,” said ITU Secretary-General Houlin Zhao. “Numerous solutions exist – both regulatory and technical – to remedy this issue. ITU is committed to enhance and strengthen international cooperation amongst ITU Member States, the satellite communications industry, the user community, as well as academia to develop innovative approaches in order to ensure that ITU procedures related to avoiding radio jamming are respected and applied by all countries at all times.”

]]>Webinar on ITU-T Study Group 12 meeting results: Thursday 16 June, 15:45-16:30 (CEST)http://newslog.itu.int/archives/1294
Tue, 14 Jun 2016 16:54:26 +0000http://newslog.itu.int/?p=1294The management team of ITU-T Study Group 12 invites you to tune into a webinar to learn the results of the group’s meeting, 7-16 June 2016. The webinar will be held 15:45-16:30 (CEST), Thursday 16 June, following the meeting’s closing plenary.

The webinar will be moderated by the Chairman of ITU-T Study Group 12, Kwame Baah-Acheamfuor of Ghana’s National Communications Authority. The meeting’s results will be presented by the Chairmen of the group’s three Working Parties:

ITU-T Study Group 12 develops international standards on performance, quality of service (QoS) and quality of experience (QoE). This work spans the full spectrum of terminals, networks and services, ranging from speech over fixed circuit-switched networks to multimedia applications over mobile and packet-based networks. The standards developed by the group are highly relevant to operators in providing the level of service necessary to attract and retain customers in today’s competitive business environment.

More information on ITU-T Study Group 12 can be found on the group’s homepage.

Washington D.C., 14 June 2016 – The information and communication technologies (ICT) sector can play a vital role in helping achieve the objectives of the United Nations 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030, according to new analysis prepared for the Global e-Sustainability Initiative (GeSI) by Accenture (NYSE:ACN). This would involve deploying innovative digital solutions to improve the quality of people’s lives, achieve equitable growth and protect the environment.